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Spirit Airlines Updates Planes to Include Seats that Don't Recline

April 22, 2010 at 9:50 AM | by | Comments (0)

Spirit Airlines loves being the center of the attention. They recently got loads of press over their decision to charge for carry-on bags, and now they’re doing something else to further ruffle the feathers of airline travelers around the country. The airline has decided to install some new seats on select planes, but these are hardly an improvement on the existing design. The new seats do not recline.

They’re calling the new seats “pre-reclined,” but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to give you any more legroom. It actually means that your seat is stuck in the locked and upright position for takeoff, taxi, landing, and the whole time that you’re up in the air. We know many enjoy a little extra room thanks to an in-flight recline, so there are definitely going to be quite a few people less than thrilled about this recent update.

As of now, there are only a couple planes featuring these new seats. The airline has crammed 178 seats into Airbus A320 planes—that includes four of their oversized seats for those who want to upgrade. Apparently Airbus marketing materials indicate that the plane can handle a maximum of 180 seats, but most airlines set it up with about 150 seats between coach and first class. Spirit is able to fit in so many seats because they have reduced seat pitch to just 28 inches. That’s about two inches less than most awful airline seats, so these planes are going to be "extra cozy."

The airline’s position is that they’re doing this to save costs and pass on lower fares. There are fewer moving parts in the new seats, and this requires less maintenance and less fuel due to the decrease in weight. Maybe Spirit Airlines is actually looking out for our best interest with low fares, but they’re quickly becoming the Ryanair of the United States.

Related Stories:
· New Spirit Airlines Planes Have Seats That Don’t Recline [Sun-Sentinel]
· Spirit Airlines Installs "Pre-Reclined" Seats On New Airbus A320's [Seattle PI]
· Spirit Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Willamor Media]

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