Tag Archives for seats.
United may block middle seats on new Airbus jets so the planes can be certified with fewer flight attendants. The move could create a European-style premium economy row, but the real payoff may be cutting crew costs.
Delta confirms plan to consider Thompson VantageSOLO business class seat, which is already flying with several airlines, because their planned Safran seat for premium A321neo transcon aircraft has so far been unable to achieve certification. That’s a less desireable seat, and still leaves their new cross-country business class product years away.
Southwest’s new assigned-seating era is already producing the kind of customer-unfriendly absurdity the old airline used to avoid: a passenger says her assigned seat had garbage and brown liquid on it, but when she moved to an empty row she got yelled at instead. The deeper problem is that Southwest is trying to enforce a paid seat model before it has the premium product, technology, or consistent crew guidance to make it feel anything but hostile.
Delta has finally made its new business class suites official for the Airbus A350-1000 and refreshed A330s, with longer beds, more privacy, and the usual premium-cabin polish. But the more important news for most travelers may be that Delta is also putting real effort into the back of the plane, adding more cushioning, larger screens, USB-C power, Bluetooth audio, and they even claim a little more spaciousness in coach.
A passenger boarded a flight with a boarding pass for seat 27E, only to discover that there was no 27E on the aircraft at all. The most likely explanation is a last-minute aircraft swap that changed the seat map without giving the traveler a new boarding pass.
A passenger who tried to recline her seat says the traveler behind her kept shoving it forward again and again, turning a routine flight into one of the most familiar battles in air travel. Whatever you think about recline etiquette, physically forcing someone else’s seat upright is not how this gets settled.
Southwest used to make this simple for passengers of size: get an extra seat and usually receive a refund after travel. Now the airline can publicly flag travelers, make them buy a second seat at walk-up prices
Southwest Airlines moved from flexible open seating to strict assigned seats overnight—now passengers report being forced to remain squeezed next to travelers spilling into their space, even when entire rows remain empty.
A passenger’s angry rant demanding jail time for anyone who reclines their airplane seat has gone viral—sparking brutal responses from fellow travelers who insist: “Stop complaining or buy a better seat!”
A college student bought herself a $7,000 business-class ticket to Dubai as a graduation gift—but moments after settling into her seat, another passenger demanded she downgrade to coach so her daughter could have it, loudly calling her “ungrateful” when she refused until a flight attendant finally intervened.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
