This may come as a surprise to many, or maybe even as a huge relief to a handful of travelers, but airlines may soon be getting rid of reclining economy seats — and there's a reason: airline companies essentially want to cut back on costs.
According to aviation and travel expert William McGee, it's only a matter of time before reclining seats are a luxury of the past. In an interview with Condé Nast Traveler published on Monday, April 15, 2024, he gave provided some insight into why this may be happening.
“This trend has been occurring for several years now, and I think it will continue," the senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project said. "Lighter seats are what the airlines want, because with the cost of jet fuel they are always looking to reduce weight onboard.”
He explained that non-reclining seats require fewer mechanical parts, which saves airline companies more money when it comes to maintenance. According to the travel outlet, airlines like Delta, United, American, and Southwest have already cut back the number of inches a seat can recline. The standard, which used to be 4 inches, is now 2 inches.
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Pre-reclined seats are also becoming a trend. In 2019, Spirit Airlines introduced a new cabin interior with seats that “pre-recline on every row,” the company's press release stated.
The pre-reclined seats are designed at a slight angle to “allow for a wider range of healthy postures and movements,” and “offer an additional two inches of usable legroom compared to industry-standard flatback seats,” the release added. This could become a more common option than a seat that allows the passenger to adjust it.
But reclining seats aren't the only things airlines have been cutting back on, according to William. Other luxuries that have been getting the boot include free seat selection and in-flight meals.
“Consumers have been losing much more than seat recline in economy class,” he said. “It's just that in this case, losing the ability to recline can be a blessing in disguise for others, because tighter seats have made reclining unfair to fellow passengers.”
And he's right. Reclining seats have stirred up much controversy among plane passengers in the past. In April, a Reddit user called out a passenger for reclining their seat during takeoff. "We were in active taxiing and readying for take off," the post read. "The [flight attendant] already told him to bring his seat up and he did, briefly, then immediately reclined again when she left the immediate area. EVERYONE knows you’re not supposed to recline during takeoff and landing."
In September 2023, travel expert Nicole Campoy Jackson weighed in on the reclining seats matter. “I'm not in the no-reclining school of thought," she said. "But I think we can recline with courtesy and understanding that we're all in tight quarters."
