When you're 30,000 feet in the air, sitting three deep, every inch of space counts. So David Bennett would prefer the passenger in front of him not invade his space by reclining his seat.
"That seat coming back disrupts any ability to eat and read," says Bennett, 59, a jail consultant from Park City, Utah. "As difficult as travel is nowadays, give me my space."
Spirit Airlines, the low-cost carrier that soon will charge passengers for stowing carry-on bags in overhead bins, is now installing seats that can't move backward or forward on some of its aircraft.
The "pre-reclined" seats — they lean back 3 inches — are already on the airline's two Airbus A320 jets, and it will outfit two more by the end of this year, the airline says.
The new seats also weigh less, and "The lighter-weight seat means less fuel, which is not only better for the environment, but it's a way for us to keep costs low," says Spirit spokeswoman Misty Pinson. "And we, in turn, pass that along to our customers by way of even lower fares."
A seat that stays still is also less intrusive on passengers in the next row back, Pinson says.
"If you're eating or have a cup on your tray table, that is constantly moving if the person continues to adjust their seat," she says. "With these new seats, since they're stationary and already in a reclined position ... you don't have that constant movement throughout the flight."
Spirit is not the only airline with stationary seats. Low-cost carrier Allegiant first installed permanently reclined seats in 2006.
It now has them on 34 of its 47 jets, says spokeswoman Sabrina LoPiccolo.
But some industry observers doubt that other carriers will follow their lead.
"I don't think that other airlines will follow Spirit's moves in general unless they later see that it's paying off for them," says George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. "Other airlines can't offset the loss of comfort with lower fares as Spirit seems to be able to do."
Fonte: USA Today
"That seat coming back disrupts any ability to eat and read," says Bennett, 59, a jail consultant from Park City, Utah. "As difficult as travel is nowadays, give me my space."
Spirit Airlines, the low-cost carrier that soon will charge passengers for stowing carry-on bags in overhead bins, is now installing seats that can't move backward or forward on some of its aircraft.
The "pre-reclined" seats — they lean back 3 inches — are already on the airline's two Airbus A320 jets, and it will outfit two more by the end of this year, the airline says.
The new seats also weigh less, and "The lighter-weight seat means less fuel, which is not only better for the environment, but it's a way for us to keep costs low," says Spirit spokeswoman Misty Pinson. "And we, in turn, pass that along to our customers by way of even lower fares."
A seat that stays still is also less intrusive on passengers in the next row back, Pinson says.
"If you're eating or have a cup on your tray table, that is constantly moving if the person continues to adjust their seat," she says. "With these new seats, since they're stationary and already in a reclined position ... you don't have that constant movement throughout the flight."
Spirit is not the only airline with stationary seats. Low-cost carrier Allegiant first installed permanently reclined seats in 2006.
It now has them on 34 of its 47 jets, says spokeswoman Sabrina LoPiccolo.
But some industry observers doubt that other carriers will follow their lead.
"I don't think that other airlines will follow Spirit's moves in general unless they later see that it's paying off for them," says George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. "Other airlines can't offset the loss of comfort with lower fares as Spirit seems to be able to do."
Fonte: USA Today
