Alex On … tighter seating planned for A320s
Back to Forum- This topic has 34 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 25 Apr 2014
at 14:04 by Charles-P.
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AMcWhirterParticipantFirst of all it was tighter economy seating by some carriers on their newish B777-300ERs. Now the trend towards accommodating more and more passengers is spreading to short-haul routes.
According to industry publication Aviation Week, plane manufacturer Airbus is now proposing a 186-seater A320. The planes in question have already been ordered by IAG-owned Vueling.
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/avd_04_23_2014_p04-02-680052.xml
This would chime with our Forum story last December where we suggested that British Airways was planning tighter seating on its A320 fleet.
http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/100072/ba-plans-denser-seating-on-airbus-fleet
The question that must be asked is, where will it end ?
23 Apr 2014
at 16:10
canuckladParticipantHi Alex, to answer your question ……..
When they install outside toilets to make way for another couple of squeezed rows
As I’ve said before,any airline that fits out their aircraft in such a fashion should be forced by law to call it cattle class or at the very least steerage class. And we should understand these airlines are trying to get away with offending our sensibilities by offering 4th class
Rant over.
23 Apr 2014
at 21:26
AnthonyDunnParticipantIn keeping with the theme, perhaps the airlines should dispense with any pretence of service under such circumstances and, in keeping with the seating density, they should just have a clippy who starts at the front, working to the back, crying “fares please…”
At this rate, it will be genuinely more comfortable to take the bus.
23 Apr 2014
at 22:45
LuganoPirateParticipantOpenfly, Canucklad, Anthony.
+1 +1 +1As airlines squeeze more and more pax into an ever shrinking space, they will probably introduce two rows of Economy Plus with wider seating etc which they can then upsell for greater margins.
I can’t speak about the UK, but with the advent of high speed trains in Europe more and more are choosing the train as a way of travel over the plane and even the car. Mrs. LP just left for Vicenza this morning, 2:54 plus 10 minutes each end to get to/from station. By car or plane she’d need to allow 4 hours.
24 Apr 2014
at 05:20
Charles-PParticipantThis is an interesting thread for me as it was an experience flying domestically with Pegasus Airlines in Turkey (must be the narrowest seat in the world) that prompted me to increase my use of fast European train travel. I have always been a fan of the Thalys service for Antwerp to Paris but I have been making use of the ICE train down to Cologne recently and the entire experience is just so much better than flying. No time consuming security checks, baggage contents no longer spread all over a bench, a comfortable WIDE seat with a lovely changing view and some pleasant food. I arrive right in the centre of Cologne and am in a taxi five minutes after the train has stopped.
The seat/table combination makes it easy to work with full WiFi and I can even step into the corridor area to make a phone call.
I have really no idea why I didn’t do this sooner !24 Apr 2014
at 07:43
Tirana1ParticipantA recommendation for travel to the South West is to take the evening pullman service from Paddington and dine in the silver service dining car (the only one remaining in Uk rail network I believe). The food and service are superb – sticky toffee pudding with a decent glass of red whilst the Somerset countryside or Devon coastline slip by is quite an experience. Moreover, you don’t always need a first class ticket for the dining car depending on how busy it is. Far nicer than anything any airline could provide.
24 Apr 2014
at 07:58
JohnHarperParticipantOh that train travel from the UK was a really practical alternative. It’s fine for Brussels and Paris but beyond there the connections are not always great and the fact that DB have put services to London on indefinite hold is not good news. The ICE compares very favourably even in second class for comfort compared to any of the main European airlines in C.
I have had one experience of the pinnacle seat about to be rolled out by BA and it’s better than the NEK seat of the LH group in terms of comfort. It will however lose ground if the pitch is tightened in C and there will be nothing to choose.
24 Apr 2014
at 08:46
Charles-PParticipant‘JohnHarper’ Here in Belgium we can now book a combined Eurostar / Any Belgium Station / Named UK station ticket (although the system is not simple or well known) so for example I buy a ticket that allows me to start at my local station, change to the Eurostar in Brussels and then catch an onward train to Scotland via St Pancras. I do however still end up with multiple pieces of paper.
24 Apr 2014
at 09:46
TiredOldHackParticipantI think the tightest seating I ever experienced was on (if I remember correctly) a Court Line BAC One-Eleven.
Anyway, somehow they squeezed the seats in six abreast. I used to fly on British Caledonian 111s out to Tripoli, Libya, at the time, and they had a 2-3 configuration.
The aisle in the Court aircraft was so narrow that it was impossible to get a trolley down it. As for food, you opened your seatback tray, and the seat back in front had a specially enlarged slot which contained not just the table, but also your cold meal, which plopped down in front of you.
24 Apr 2014
at 10:25 -
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