Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
The high and low comfort peaks in passengers' flight
Joyce M A Bouwens1,2, Wan-Jen J Tsay3,2, Peter Vink2
1Department of Human Factors and Ergonomics, Zodiac Seats US, Gainesville, TX, USA.
Background:
Knowing the high and low peaks in comfort during a flight could be useful in prioritizing aircraft interior improvements.
Objective:
The first objective of this study was to identify whether there are differences in comfort experiences during different phases of a flight. The second objective of this study was to identify similarities between recalled and real time reported comfort experiences.
Methods:
149 participants were asked to rate the comfort in the different phases of their last flight on a scale from 1-10. Additionally, a combination of a self-reporting design probe and generative interview was used to investigate the appraisal patterns of emotions in nine passengers.
Results:
The 149 subjects reported the highest comfort after take-off and arriving at the destination, the lowest while stowing the luggage and during the cruise flight. The qualitative long haul inflight study showed after take-off and while arriving at the destination the most positive emotions and during the cruise flight there is a negative experience phase.
Conclusions:
Suggestions are given to improve the cruise flight phase, by for example stimulation of movement or better service.
Related Concept Videos
Latitudes and Departures
Positive and Negative Feedback Loops
Application of Linearization and Approximation
Variation of Atmospheric Pressure
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
Controller Configurations
Control-system compensation involves various configurations, most commonly series or cascade compensation, in which the controller...
Probability Histograms

