Airlines Slimming Seats one inch at a Time
It's not your imagination. There really is a tighter squeeze on many planes these days.
The big U.S. airlines are taking out old, bulky seats in favor of so-called slimline models that take up less space from front to back, allowing for five or six more seats on each plane.
The changes, covering some of the most common planes flown on domestic and international routes, give the airlines two of their favorite things: More paying passengers, and a smaller fuel bill because the seats are slightly lighter. It's part of a trend among the airlines to view seats as money-makers, not just pieces of furniture. Add a few inches of legroom and airlines can charge more for tickets. Take away a few inches and they can fit more seats on the plane.
Some passengers seem to mind the tighter squeeze more than others. The new seats generally have thinner padding. And new layouts on some planes have made the aisles slightly narrower, meaning the dreaded beverage cart bump to the shoulder happens more often.
UA says the new seats make each A320 1,200 pounds lighter.
WN says the weight savings is cutting about $10 million per year in fuel spending. In addition, the extra seats allow WN to expand flying capacity 4 percent without adding any planes, says spokesman Brad Hawkins, while also collecting more revenue from the additional passengers.
AS is adding an extra row of seats throughout its fleet, which is all Boeing 737s. It's planning to add power outlets at each seat, a rarity among U.S. airlines.
AA It's adding five seats on its MD-80s in a project due to wrap up in November. American is still considering whether to add an additional row on its Boeing 737s.
DL is putting slimline seats on many of its planes, including its MD-90s, Boeing 737s, 747s and some 757s. Those seats allow Delta to add an extra row on some of those planes
B6 plans to replace the seats on its Airbus A320s -- the bulk of its fleet. It hasn't finalized the seat measurements but says it has no plans to add an additional row.
US No plans for a big seat overhaul, but it added four additional seats on its Airbus A321s, for a total of 187. It fit them in by putting two new seats on each side of a rear exit row.
