Economy flights are notoriously packed to the brim with people, which becomes obvious to us every time we try to stretch our legs, sleep, or embark or disembark the plane and have to wait for the crowds to disperse.
With that in mind, it’s understandable that people may react negatively to the news that Australia’s largest budget carrier, Jetstar, is packing more people into its planes with the addition of extra seats on 43 of its A320 planes.
Now, before you say it’s cramped enough as it is, Jetstar have assured passengers they will have the same amount of legroom and space as they currently do and the space for the new seats comes from a redesign of the cabin.
Read more: Reflections on airline travel in yesteryear
“This is the latest cabin design from Airbus, which is smarter about the way space is used on the aircraft and allows for an extra row of seats and more baggage space,” CEO of Jetstar Australia and New Zealand Dean Salter said.
“This design is being used by leading airlines in other parts of the world. The additional six seats improve the economics of these aircraft and help us to keep offering the low fares we are known for and maintain a great customer experience.”
Further, the airline said the additional seats will allow passengers to carry more customers at peak times.
Despite the fact passengers have been promised the same amount of leg room, people have taken to social media to say they aren’t fully convinced.
Facebook user Sam shared the story, saying “Getting bad to worse”, with another, Michael, commenting, “This is why I only fly virgin”.
“Ridiculous – it’s cattle class now!” Judy said.
Vanessa pointed out a different solution: “Why not reconfigure the cabin to make more room for the passengers rather than try to squeeze more in to what is already a ridiculously uncomfortable space?!?!! Clearly it’s all about making money, but whatever happened to customer comfort?”
Emma posed the question where would it stop by saying, “Next on the agenda: new seats on the wing.”
It’s Jetstar’s first redesign of the interiors of their A320 fleet since their launch in 2004 and as well as the extra seats, Jetstar says there will be more baggage space as well.