United Airlines Plans To Cram More Passengers On Flights
United Airlines Plans to Cram More Passengers On Flights:
United Airlines has confirmed that it will be adding a 10th seat to its coach class Boeing 777 aircraft. United joins other airlines, including American, who have already configured their 777s to a 3-4-3 configuration that allows the airline to increase revenue.
According to the airline, nineteen aircraft will be retrofitted to include the new configuration. Nine of the aircraft will be those used on their domestic routes, mostly used to fly to Hawaii. The other ten 777s will be configured for its long-haul international routes.
The move by United isn’t all bad news. According to USA Today:
“While the economy cabin in the reconfigured domestic 777s will go from 9- to 10-abreast, there will be some upgrades. United will install in-seat power outlets throughout the cabin, including in coach.
The 777s will be Wi-Fi-enabled, allowing passengers to stream entertainment options to their personal devices. United also will install two mobile device holders – one for tablets and one for phones — at each economy seat.
In business class, United will replace the recliner seats now on the domestic 777s with flatbed seats.”
The airline plans to begin the reconfiguration in May and currently plans to have completed it by May 2017. The new configuration will give United 20 extra seats, which it hopes will increase its revenue per 777 flown.
While the economy cabin in the reconfigured domestic 777s will go from 9- to 10-abreast, there will be some upgrades. United will install in-seat power outlets throughout the cabin, including in coach.
The 777s will be Wi-Fi-enabled, allowing passengers to stream entertainment options to their personal devices. United also will install two mobile device holders – one for tablets and one for phones — at each economy seat.
In business class, United will replace the recliner seats now on the domestic 777s with flatbed seats.
As airlines try to squeeze more and more out of the consumer, personal space is one of the easiest ways for airlines to get more out of the consumer. United is not the first to realize the advantage to cramming people closer together and offer them less space. It will certainly make long-haul flights a lot less comfortable for United passengers on the Boeing 777, but it won’t be surprising if this trend continues to grow across even more airlines.
