American Airlines plans to add more seats to two of its planes, which could mean less legroom for passengers traveling in coach, according to USA Today. The carrier has not determined the number of seats they will be adding to the Boeing 737 and MD-80 jets, which make up approximately two-thirds of their current fleet.
The company's workers were told about the plan during a "town hall" meeting in Forth Worth, Texas, on Tuesday. The executive team that will lead the airline after the merger with US Airways is complete, led the meeting. The plan was also disclosed on Wednesday when the parent company of American Airlines, AMR, filed it with regulators.
"As you probably know, we are constantly taking a look at what our operation needs, and that includes how our fleet is configured," Lauri Curtis, the vice president of flight service, said in an interview with the Airline Biz Blog, a section of the Dallas Morning News. "And sometimes we make adjustments when we think it helps match supply to demand but can still be competitive.
So from where we stand today, we expect to add seats to the 737 and MD-80 fleets, but we haven't yet determined the right number of seats, and as a result, the impact on revenue and cost," Curtis added.
Stacy Frantz, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, said no decision has been finalized, and that the airline will continue to sell its "Main Cabin Extra," seats that cost more but have additional legroom compared to typical coach seats.
A possible solution could be to follow in the steps of Southwest Airlines, which has installed thinner seat cushions, cutting an inch of legroom while adding seats to each plane. This boosts cabin capacity by 4 percent. However, that type of solution could require more cabin crew.
American Airlines 737s have 148 or 150 seats, according to Frantz. Federal safety rules require one flight attendant for every 50 seats, so exceeding 150 seats would force the airline to put an additional flight attendant on those planes.
The airline operates 195 Boeing 737s and 190 MD-80s, according to the company web site.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
