More Airlines Are Now Charging Extra for Comfort

The days when you flew coach class and had a comfortable reclining seat to sit in could fast be disappearing, as airlines are finding new ways to jam more people into the same space.

Only a few years ago coach class passengers would have a meal on board, or even a snack if the flight was less than an several hours.

That all disappeared in the last 10 years, first the meals, then the snacks, as airlines found new ways to cut costs.

I know that passengers like me were really disappointed, and would have happily paid a dollar to cover the cost of a 10 cent bag of peanuts that we had been denied.

After the food on board flights disappeared, there was no longer the need for a galley, and so planes were re-equipped with no galley and more seats.

Now however it seems that some airlines are doing the ultimate dirty deed, and eliminating our nice reclining seats as well.

Budget airlines like Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air have already done this, installing smaller rigid backed seats that also have thinner seat cushions.

According to Matt Daimler, who is the founder of web site SeatGuru.com, by reducing the pitch, which is the distance between the same point on a seat and the one behind it, you can get more rows of seats in the same space, and since most flights these days have almost all seats full, this is important to the airlines.

Most main airlines in the USA have a pitch of 30-31 inches, with Jet Blue being the airline that has the most room, a very comfortable 34 inches between each row.

Some airlines are also offering seats with more legroom at a premium price, including the popular exit rows and those behind a bulkhead.

Dave banger is the CEO of Jet Blue, which prides itself on being a better airline to fly and on having a first class reputation. Jeff said in a recent interview that people don't like those airlines that just cram as many people in as they can. It doesn't endear the passengers to the airline and make them want to fly with them again.

Jet Blue, which has multiple daily flights between Fort Lauderdale and New York, has gained a high reputation for comfort, in an era when many airlines are reducing the level of service.

When the author flew them several years ago, not only was there a snack cart, passengers were invited to have a selection of snacks. There was also in flight entertainment, both audio and video, all of which most airlines have eliminated on domestic flights inside the USA.

It seems that as time goes on, airline passengers will need to be more selective over who they fly, assuming their route gives them the choice, and if your only option is a budget quality airline, then your only option as a passenger is to pay up and suffer.

Sources:

Florida Sun Sentinel

SeatGuru.com