@cokw wrote:
Is the seat pitch such that one can actually use a laptop in flight? My experience with both UAL and Lufthansa was that you had to get extra legroom seats in order for there to be enough space to open the laptop enough to be able to type and see the screen. What is it like on SW.
In crude graphics, those airlines' basic economy class permitted the laptop to open like _\
before hitting theseat in front. And I need the laptop to be able to be positioned like _/ to be usable.
Southwest has a decent seat pitch. That being said, I think it depends on the size of your device.
I use an HP ZBook 15 G2 15.6" for work which is an older model and had to pull it out to take care of an urgent task during a recent short-haul flight.
The laptop fits nicely on the tray table that allowed for typing but because of its size, the lid/screen needed to be oriented approxiately 90 degrees, much better than the acute angle that you illustrated but not quite at your desired obtuse angle which means my screen was facing below my face. My model laptop also has a narrower viewing angle which means a "darkening" effect on the screen whenever one looks from above its center point.
I resolved this by not using the tray table and tilting the computer on my lap to more of a V-shape in a 90 degree angle so the screen is oriented toward my face better. Typing was a bit awkward but I was able to get my work done.
My answer: It depends on the size of your laptop and its viewing angle specifications of whether there is screen darkening when not viewed at directly. I would say that if its 15" or less, it may be safe to say that you'll be able to position the laptop at least 90 degrees.
Here are some screenshots of my seat area from some recent flights aboard both the 737-700 and 737-800 fleets if that helps:
