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American Airlines Rethinks Cutting Down Legroom on New Planes

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Tony Maples Photography

 

In early May, American Airlines made an announcement with a rather unpopular decision regarding seating in their new Boeing 737 Max planes. To make room for another row of higher-priced seating, they said they would be switching economy chairs to slimmer designs. Needless to say, people weren’t happy to hear that they would be losing an inch of legroom as the newer configuration would have a 29” pitch instead of 30”. (Pitch is the industry term for the space measured between the back of a chair and the row in front of it.)

Since travelers are already feeling crammed like sardines inside of planes, customers made their voices heard, and American Airlines listened. The Los Angeles Times quoted American Airline’s statement, saying, “It is clear that today, airline customers feel increasingly frustrated by their experiences and less valued when they fly.”

Ultimately, they decided to not make changes to the pitch in their economy seats on the new planes. Customers are happy about the small victory, but industry insiders don’t necessarily see it the same way. The Economist quotes United Airlines president Scott Kirby as stating, “Seat pitch has come down because that’s what customers voted with their wallets that they wanted. I know everyone would tell you, ‘I would like more seat pitch.’ But the history in the airline industry is every time airlines put more seat pitch on, customers choose the lowest price.”