Airlines are introducing seats that don't recline (even in business class)
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? You’re seated uncomfortably in your economy-class seat when the passenger in front hits the recline button.
Most of us suck in and groan. We might recline our own seat and reclaim that lost space but for anyone with an infant on their lap, a tray table open or just having a particularly bad day, it might be a different story.
Folks get tense when they travel, and a seat reclined in their face is one of the issues most likely to awaken the inner reptile. Recliners might find the passenger behind thumping their seat to convey their annoyance. Tempers flare, harsh words are spoken, fists are thrown. In extreme cases the police board the aircraft when it lands and remove and charge the offenders. Or worse still, the conflagration causes the pilot to divert and offload the protagonists.
Google “seat recline disputes” and you’ll find dozens of similar incidents. There’s a whole etiquette attached to seat recline – when it’s okay to do it and how it should be done.
“Only recline when necessary,” according to travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt in an article in the New York Times. Some fliers take it as dogma that a seat should never be reclined. But the ‘my seat has a recline button, I’m more comfortable with the seat in that position and there’s no rule against it so what’s stopping me from reclining my seat whenever I’m allowed?’ runs the counterargument.
No surprise that some airlines are opting for seats that don’t recline.
The bolt upright brigade
Non-reclining seats, also known as pre-reclined seats since the angle is slightly more raked than in a standard economy upright seat, have been around for over a decade. They’re lighter than a conventional seat, cost less to build, require less maintenance and they’re a natural fit for budget airlines.
UK low-cost Carrier Jet2.com was an early adopter, fitting non-reclining seats from Acro Aircraft Seating as early as 2008. The airline has been a fan ever since, announcing plans to fit Acro’s Series 9 Fixed Back seats to its recent order of almost 100 Airbus A320neo and A321 aircraft. Seat pitch is 74 centimeters, which is par for a budget carrier but passenger reviews compare Jet2’s seat comfort favourably with that of economy class seats aboard British Airways’ equivalent aircraft, despite those models having a seat pitch between two-and-a-half to five centimeters greater.
Since that time, Germany’s Recaro Aircraft Seating, the aviation wing of the Recaro brand that is the seat of choice for many prestige motor vehicles, has come on board with a “pre-reclined” seat. Hungary’s Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing airline, has ordered the latest iteration, the non-reclining Recaro SL3710 for its new Airbus A321neos.
Finnair takes the non-recline seat to the front end
Finnair is another legacy carrier with non-reclining seats but there’s a crucial difference. The Finnish carrier broke new ground when it showed off its new Collins’ Aerospace AirLounge seats in its business cabin with no recline function.
Ever since British Airways introduced the lie-flat seat to business class in 2000, it’s been a given that the seat would need to recline fully. How else are you going to create a bed in the sky? The contoured shell of the Air Lounge wraps around at the sides, giving it a cocoon shape. The immediate impression is its size, more than a metre across at its widest point. The lack of electrical components that drive a standard business-class seat back and flat and raise the footrest gives heaps more storage room than normal. When it’s time to sleep, the footrest elevates to form a flat surface that joins with the ottoman in front, completely covering the foot well. A mattress topper adds a final touch of comfort. The bed tapers towards the end and there’s plenty of room for anyone but an NBA basketball pro to stretch out in the 198-centimetre bed.
Which airlines have non-reclining seats?
It’s still mostly low-cost carriers that have gone with non-recliners. Seats aboard Ryanair have not reclined since 2004. Nor do the seats on competitor easyJet, or German low-cost carrier Condor or Spain’s Vueling.
In the USA, budget airlines Spirit and Allegiant have non-reclining seats. Although they have no plans to introduce non-reclining seats, United and British Airways introduced 35 new Airbus A320neos and A321neos in 2018 that didn’t have reclining seats. Most of those airlines are operating relatively short flights, although Spirit’s longest flight, from Fort Lauderdale to Lima, clocks on at over five hours, and that’s a long time to be sitting upright for some. Allegiant also has a five-hour flight, Orlando Sanford to Las Vegas. British Airways sets a maximum of four hours for its flights with non-reclining seats.
What’s the verdict from flyers?
A non-reclining seat might sound like a new form of torture invented by penny-pinching airlines but that’s not borne out by the experience of passengers who have sat in them. Apart from a few grumblers, the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Even on a short flight some passengers are going to recline, and seats that don’t remove one more source of friction from economy class flying. The very thought that they might get crunched knees and a seatback in their face puts some fliers on edge.
No Australian airline has yet gone with non-reclining seats but if it makes for a calmer cabin and it’s a short flight, bring it on.
The Traveller
|
|
|
|
