If you didn’t already feel like a heard of cattle when boarding an airplane you’re about to.
Airplane manufacturers Boeing and Airbus are set to produce 2 new models of aircraft which are more fuel efficient (yay!) but squeeze more seats into the same amount of space as previous planes (boo!). More seats in the same space = less room per passenger…as if we didn’t already feel cramped while flying in economy class.
The new Boeing 737 MAX should be ready in 2017 and will have 189 (in comparison to the current 737-800 model which has 160 seats). European low-cost carrier Ryanair has even put in a special request with Boeing to create a Boeing 737 MAX 200 just for them, which packs in 200 seats! The Airbus version will be out ever earlier withe a reported release date of late 2016 and was planned to feature 180 seats. Last month however, the European Aviation Safety Agency gave approval to add another 15 seats increasing the total to 195.
The actual loss of space looks like it will be about 1-2 inches in the Boeing 737 MAX and around 3-5 inches in the Airbus. You might not notice a loss of an inch or 2, but at the higher end we’re talking about almost half a foot of lost space!
Many airlines are lining up to purchase these new fuel and space efficient aircraft and while we hate the thought of even less room on-board, more efficiency should translate to lower costs for airlines and more friendly competition between carries -which all translates to savings on fares.
Like this? Check out: How to be Productive on an Airplane
