To recline or not to recline is not an option

Spirit Airlines is on a roll.

Spirit Airlines is on a roll. Recently they announced a new carry-on fee, and along the lines of another innovation that may not “sit well” with passengers, the airlines is switching over some of its aircraft to seats that do not adjust. Instead, the seats will remain stationery in a 3-inch, pre-reclined position.

The airline said the slim new leather seats are 30 percent lighter, which means they will use less fuel costs. The space under the seat is also 20 percent larger, which is a good thing since this is, for now, the only free baggage option on Spirit Airlines.

By eliminating a steeper recline, the airline said it can also fit more seats into the plane – 33 more passengers to be exact – in the airline’s new Airbus A320 than in an older Airbus model with conventional reclining seats.

Less fuel cost plus more passengers equals better financial statement for the airline.

Passengers can try the new seats on two Airbus A320 planes that Spirit flies between Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Washington, DC, and between Fort Lauderdale and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Spirit plans to put two more A320 planes in the air in the next few months, but airline officials don’t know which routes they will serve.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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