United Airlines President Scott Kirby recently told an employee Town Hall meeting that passengers don't really want more legroom—at least not enough to pay for it.
United is considering following American's lead in reducing seat pitch in parts of Economy to 29", matching the ultra-low-cost carriers such as Spirit and Ryanair.
According to travel-industry news site Skift, Kirby, who used to be president of American, said that “Seat pitch has come down, but seat pitch has come down because that’s what customers voted with their wallets that they wanted. I know everyone would tell you, ‘I would like more seat pitch.’ But the history in the airline industry is every time airlines put more seat pitch on, customers choose the lowest price.”
He said that removing one row of seats to give a little more to the rest cut 4% of the plane's seats without cutting cost, and that the difference had to be made up in ticket prices, either by raising all, or by selling some of the seats at premium prices with more perks. When customers complain to him about legroom, “I say, ‘Pay a little more and you get can get seat pitch. If it’s worth it to you, you can do it. But if you just want the cheapest fare, this is what it is.”
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