Well, it seems one of the hold-outs of 10 across seating aboard a Boeing 777 have fallen – with Cathay Pacific to introduce 10 across seating according to the South China Morning Post
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 taxing at Hong Kong International Airport – soon to be filled with 10 across seating in Economy Class – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Plans call for 10 across seating to be installed (in a probable 3-4-3 formation), and an extra row of seats to be installed.
This will reduce the seat width from the present 18.5″ to a bit more bone-crushing 17″ – in line with the Persian Gulf airlines, a lot of European airlines and US airlines.
It also reduces the hold-outs of 9 across seating. These include:
- British Airways
- Delta
- Turkish Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- Air India
- EVA Air
As the temptation to operate with 10 across continues, ultimately – the passenger has will have a choice to make – either fly in cramp and tight seats, or pay the extra and fly with an airline that offers a Premium Economy product to reclaim the space they’ve lost.
And ultimately, the passenger experience will suffer as passengers have the option of flying in every tighter seats, choosing an airline that has the vague promise of a wider seat… or choosing not to fly at all.
Perhaps the most telling line the SMCP article is this:
“We want to generate more seats per slot, that’s the key thing. That’s why we are doing it. It’s very important we do it.”
And from this, it should be easy to tell who runs an airline – Accountants
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