Last week we sent out a survey asking 'What would you pay for to make your flight more comfortable in Economy?' The response from economy travellers was overwhelming and the findings were interesting.

It may come as no surprise that the vast majority of respondents wanted the option to pay for more legroom. This was interesting given that this option is already available on virtually every flight. So our question is... are people really happy to pay for more legroom?

Another popular request from economy travellers was wider seats. Our audience would like the option to pay for seats that are wider in certain rows of the aircraft OR have the option to purchase the seat next to them so it remained empty. To make the width significant and worth paying for, airlines would likely need to remove a seat in a row which takes away 'an airfare' so our question is how much would you really be willing to pay for a wider seat?

The next most popular requests were as follows

1. The option to pay more for a 'better' or 'Business Class' type meal as well as have access to more premium wines.
2. Rows with no reclining seats so you are guaranteed that no one can recline into your space during the flight
3. Option to purchase comfort or amenity packs
4. Better headsets
5. Childfree zones
6. Seniors area
7. Inflight entertainment that doesn't rely on you using your own device
8. Option to pay for lounge access

SUGGESTED READ: Which airlines have child-free zones?

One response that really got our attention though was the option to pay and have guaranteed overhead bin space above your seat for your carry-on bags. Let's set the scene.......

You're seated in a window seat in row 7 but your belongings are all the way back at row 24. You endure a five-hour flight on a single-aisle aircraft and then you have to wait for everyone to disembark before you can go back to the other end of the plane to get your bags. It's beyond frustrating and it's generally at this point in time you say 'I'm never flying Economy again' until of course, you see the business class fare on your next trip.

Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) Ryanair tried to do something about this with mixed results. Although the flight seats 180 passengers the airline will only sell 'priority' airfares to 120 passengers. Only these 120 passengers are allowed to take on a carry-on bag and utilise the overhead bin space. For everyone else it's a tiny bag that sits under the seat in front of you only. Passengers were up in arms at these extra costs especially when they didn't pay and lost their hand luggage to the hold BUT for the travel savvy who saw the value in this, it did by and large alleviate the above scenario of not having space for your bags above your seat. This author has spent a lot of time travelling ULCC's Ryanair and Easyjet throughout Europe and must admit I loved the change imposed by Ryanair. It took a lot of stress out of the boarding and disembarking process especially when everyone was trying to save a dollar and not pay for luggage in the hold.

The interest in our survey was overwhelming and shows by and large how disgruntled passengers are with their current Economy offering especially on short and mid-haul flights. Whilst some suggestions like seat width are harder to execute, many of the options are absolutely 'doable' or already available but it is up to us as the passenger to put our money where our mouth is and pay for the privilege.