WASHINGTON -- In the most dramatic reversal yet of the major
airlines' fondness for packing as many revenue-generating travelers
into a plane as possible, American is ripping two rows of seats out
of all of its aircraft to give more room to every coach passenger.
American said the change will give each passenger three to five
more inches of legroom (but still four to five inches less than
provided in first class).
"American is going to provide more room for coach passengers
than any other airline anywhere," Don Carty, the airline's chairman
and chief executive officer, promised at an elaborate media event
in Washington Feb. 3 to unveil the project. "The thing our
customers want more than any other thing is space."
Carty said fares won't increase with the removal of more than
7,000 seats. The airline is counting on an increase in loyal
business travelers -- an airline's prized revenue generator -- to
more than make up the difference.
The first reconfigured planes will go into service Feb. 12.
American said half of its domestic aircraft should be reconfigured
for the extra room by June, and all of them should be done by the
end of the year.
Work on international aircraft will begin this fall and should
be completed by sometime in the second quarter of next year, the
company said.
Aircraft have gotten more and more cramped in the past 20 years
as major airlines, competing in a deregulated market, have tried to
increase their revenues by carrying more passengers. But amid a
barrage of passenger complaints about airline service -- and last
year's threats by the U.S. Congress to mandate improvements --
there have been signs the trend is reversing.
One big example is United, which last August began creating a
new Economy Plus configuration in which the first few rows of the
economy cabin have seats with more room. About 40% of its domestic
fleet has been reconfigured, and United said the rest should be
done by April.
"Unlike American, our product is already extensively in the
skies, meeting the needs of thousands of business travelers each
day," United said in a press release responding to American's
announcement.