Airbus Pitches Wide Seats As PAXS Get Bigger
This may be a partial solution for our oversized paxs:/B]
Airbus pitches wide seats as U.S. fliers get bigger
By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY
U.S. airlines seem to be on the a constant lookout for new add-on fees. Carry-on bags, reserved seats, help from an agent by phone – those are just some of the things that come with a charge at many U.S. carriers these days.
And, now, it appears that one of the world's biggest jetmakers is trying to aid airlines in their quest for new options for add-on fees.
Airbus is pitching several U.S. airlines on the idea of an A320 jet with aisle seats that are three inches wider than the plane's other seats.
That, Airbus says, would let carriers charge customers a premium for those wider seats.
"Airlines are improving their margins by charging for bags, window seats and food," Airbus COO John Leahy says in an interview with Bloomberg News. "But what most people really want is space, and that's what we can offer. Every economy-class aisle seat would be almost as wide as a first-class seat on competing aircraft."
By appealing to U.S. airlines that are continuously seeking new ways to boost revenue, Airbus also hopes the move could better position its A320 jets against Boeing's best-selling 737, which competes head-to-head with the A320.
Bloomberg News explains:
Adding two inches to one-third of the seats in an A320 would hand U.S. airlines a marketing tool that they could target at the obese population, which has swelled to more than one- third of U.S. adults, according to Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey. Airbus has sought to win more business with U.S. airlines and ween them off the 737, which remains the world's most widely flown commercial aircraft.
Airbus is able to consider such a ploy for its A320s because its cabins are slightly wider than those on the 737. Currently, a typical 3-by-3 seating configuration on an Airbus A320 allows for three 18-inch coach seats on either side of the aisle. Boeing's comparable 3-by-3 seating arrangement on its 737s comes with 17-inch seats in coach, according to Bloomberg.
As part of the proposal Airbus is floating to the U.S. airlines, it has designed an A320 prototype that would come with 20-inch aisle seats and 17-inch seats elsewhere in the cabin.
Leahy says the roomier seats could appeal – and possibly be sold – to a wide range of fliers, such a large passenger or a parent traveling with a child.
"This will become very popular soon in a very short time," he predicts to Bloomberg.
Stay tuned…