This major airline says it can install more plane seats without cramping passengers
Another airline has found a new way to cram more seats on a plane — but you may not end up losing any space.
United Airlines has begun reconfiguring its international fleet of single-aisle Boeing 757s, a spokesperson told FOX Business. The new layout adds seven economy seats, raising the total number from 153 to 160, according to diagrams posted on the carrier's website.
The move was first reported by air travel journalist Jason Rabinowitz on Twitter.
Economy-plus seats will lose 2 inches of reclining range but gain seven-tenths of an inch of width, the diagrams show. Economy seats will lose 1 inch of space between rows and 2 inches of reclining range, while gaining a small amount of width.
That reduced space doesn’t mean that passengers will necessarily feel more cramped, however. As Rabinowitz noted, “the current seats are ancient and thick.”
An airline spokesperson said the extra seats were made possible by the “latest-generation seat designs.” They’ll have brand new in-flight entertainment systems, took.
The diagrams on United’s website also show that a pair of storage spaces were removed in order to make space for the extra seats.