Keen to get maximum revenue out of every square inch, airlines are
crunching coach even as they make business and first even more plush.
Airlines like Etihad, Emirates and Singapore have introduced first class suites while flat beds have become almost the norm in business cabins. The extra room has come by shaving knee space and wedging in extra seats into economy. Seat widths have also shrunk globally from around 18 inches in the 70s and 80s to 17 inches (both on the Boeing 737-800 that SpiceJet uses and the Airbus A320s that Indigo and GoAir fly). This, even though the size of the average airline passenger has been expanding. Even the loos are getting smaller. Boeing announced last year that it would be shrinking the aircraft's standard 3 x 3 foot lavatory space.
And it's not just western airlines that are putting on the squeeze at the back of the plane. Indian carriers have also opted for "slimline" seats with thinner padding to shave centimeters off the distance between rows. And what will they do with the extra space? Pack in more rows, of course. So don't be surprised if recline rage (we already excel at road rage) makes its way across the Atlantic to Indian skies.
IndiGo, India's largest airline by domestic market share, was first off the block a year ago when it started replacing bulkier seats with ergonomically designed, lighter seats. The skinny seats help IndiGo save on fuel burn. And for now at least, IndiGo is sticking with its 180-seat configuration, and not putting in more seats.
Read news ion full 05/10/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
Airlines like Etihad, Emirates and Singapore have introduced first class suites while flat beds have become almost the norm in business cabins. The extra room has come by shaving knee space and wedging in extra seats into economy. Seat widths have also shrunk globally from around 18 inches in the 70s and 80s to 17 inches (both on the Boeing 737-800 that SpiceJet uses and the Airbus A320s that Indigo and GoAir fly). This, even though the size of the average airline passenger has been expanding. Even the loos are getting smaller. Boeing announced last year that it would be shrinking the aircraft's standard 3 x 3 foot lavatory space.
And it's not just western airlines that are putting on the squeeze at the back of the plane. Indian carriers have also opted for "slimline" seats with thinner padding to shave centimeters off the distance between rows. And what will they do with the extra space? Pack in more rows, of course. So don't be surprised if recline rage (we already excel at road rage) makes its way across the Atlantic to Indian skies.
IndiGo, India's largest airline by domestic market share, was first off the block a year ago when it started replacing bulkier seats with ergonomically designed, lighter seats. The skinny seats help IndiGo save on fuel burn. And for now at least, IndiGo is sticking with its 180-seat configuration, and not putting in more seats.
Read news ion full 05/10/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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