Twenty-some years ago, American Airlines built a whole new reputation around the slogan "More Room in Coach," and pulled out a few rows of seats to make it happen.
Not only is that long gone, but AA's new 737MAX planes are squeezing in more seats and less room.
The new planes, which will join AA's fleet in the fall, will make foom for squeezing 170 passengers where 160 now fit on the same-size 737-800, according to sources interviewed by USA Today.
Most economy seats in the new planes will have a 30" pitch to the seat in front compared to 31" now. And 3 rows will shrink even further, to 29". The added seating may be a future update on existing 737-800s. At 29" the tightest seats will be only an inch better than Spirit and Frontier, and two inches behind the other major carriers.
Of course, this may be just the beginning of a trend that will involve other carriers, aiming at squeezing out the last nickel of profit and the last comfort of the economy traveler.
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