Two North American airlines have cut the amount of legroom on offer in Economy-Class seats, which some have argued is an attempt to carve out more space for premium seating.
JetBlue, a US domestic carrier, has reduced the amount of legroom available in all 52 of its aircraft from 33 inches to 32. This has provided a more spacious 38 inches of legroom at the front of the cabin as well as allowing space for two additional rows of seating.
WestJet, a Canada-based airline, has also made a similar move, decreasing the amount of legroom available on its Boeing 737 aircraft to “31 or 32 inches”. The changes, which are set to be implemented by the end of the year, will create the space needed for four rows of 36-inch seats.
According to reports in The Telegraph both airlines have admitted that the changes were designed to boost revenue, with JetBlue hoping for an additional $150 million a year. Passengers are also set to be charged more for the extra legroom.
“We know there are a lot of business travellers who are essentially flying in the back of larger aircraft that have First Class and Business cabins, but their companies don’t support First Class for business travel necessarily,” says WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer. “Those people we think are looking for home.”
Southwest Airlines also took similar action earlier this year by bringing economy seats an inch closer together.
Similarly, Airbus, the plane manufacturer, is contemplating installing aisle seats that will be two inches wider on its A320. Again this will mean sacrificing space from other parts of the aircraft, with other seats reducing by an inch. Airbus has argued that the move comes in response to airline’s complaints that they struggle to accommodate overweight travellers.
Typical legroom, known as “seat pitch” in the industry, measures between 31 and 35 inches.
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