Oct 6, 2013, 5:04 pm
Last edit by: alggag
Southwest has added one row of seats to virtually all its aircraft, increasing the seat count from 137 to 143. The pitch is tighter, the seats are thinner and lower, and passengers taller than 6 feet are finding it uncomfortable.
Only a few older 737-300's and 500's have not been refitted. The 737-800's, were originally equipped with the thinner seats but at a larger pitch which most customers find sufficiently comfortable.
In this thread we discuss the wisdom of this decision, discuss whether it makes sense to switch carriers, commiserate, and celebrate our occasional successes in obtaining the suddenly much rarer seats with extra legroom.
Only a few older 737-300's and 500's have not been refitted. The 737-800's, were originally equipped with the thinner seats but at a larger pitch which most customers find sufficiently comfortable.
In this thread we discuss the wisdom of this decision, discuss whether it makes sense to switch carriers, commiserate, and celebrate our occasional successes in obtaining the suddenly much rarer seats with extra legroom.
[Wiki] Southwest's new "Evolve" interior adds 1 row, claims to preserve knee room
Apr 10, 2012, 9:02 am
#166
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I don't know how many of you are LH flyers, but is this similar to the NEK design? Those seats are good for maximum an hour for most of us.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...opakabine.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...opakabine.html
Southwest is only adding one row of seats, so I doubt that every flight will be short of bin space, but we could see a high percentage increase in the number of flights where at least one bag needs to be checked. If it's true that the underseat volume is larger, that might partially offset the 4% higher seat count.
Apr 10, 2012, 10:27 am
#169
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Apr 10, 2012, 6:49 pm
#170
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I brought a garment measuring tape today and got measurements from a -700with metal tray table latches & thinner seats (pre-evolve).
I'll get measurements off the -800 series tomorrow morning. fortunately flt #1717 is a wifi flight as well.
I'll get measurements off the -800 series tomorrow morning. fortunately flt #1717 is a wifi flight as well.
Apr 10, 2012, 7:45 pm
#171
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ACHTUNG!
Das Machine is nicht fur gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fur gewerken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseeren musten keepen das cotten-pickenen hands in das pockets - relaxen und watchen das blinkenlights.
Das Machine is nicht fur gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fur gewerken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseeren musten keepen das cotten-pickenen hands in das pockets - relaxen und watchen das blinkenlights.
And here I thought that you were just bilingual... 
Apr 12, 2012, 6:54 pm
#174
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exit row immovability likely means one part of cabin more affected than another!
Wait a second, are they moving the exit row??? They can't, can they? (It's got to still align pretty well with an exit door!)
That implies they can't distribute the one extra row evenly over the whole plane! It implies that rows in front of the exit row will have more room than rows in back of the exit row (or vice versa), depending on where they add the extra row. They'll presumably add the extra row in the part of the plane that has more rows (but whether that's in front of the exit row or behind the exit row I'm not sure, since I don't have assinged seat numbers on Southwest planes I don't pay attention to row numbers!).
This has been the case at many other airlines that added or removed a row of seats in the past. It always has come out with a different change in one part of the plane than another because of something, whether an exit row, a divider, or whatever, that made it impossible to evenly distribute the change in pitch over every single row in the plane. Which then made people reevaluate which part of the plane they preferred (because suddenly not all non-exit rows were equal!).
I don't understand how it can suddenly be so different at Southwest. It's not a matter of policy, it's a matter of math (and of legal requirements for exit rows).
I thus suggest those of you doing tape measurements measure both one row ahead of the exit plus one row behind the exit, or at the very mention where the row you measured was (if you only measure a row in one part of the plane).
That implies they can't distribute the one extra row evenly over the whole plane! It implies that rows in front of the exit row will have more room than rows in back of the exit row (or vice versa), depending on where they add the extra row. They'll presumably add the extra row in the part of the plane that has more rows (but whether that's in front of the exit row or behind the exit row I'm not sure, since I don't have assinged seat numbers on Southwest planes I don't pay attention to row numbers!).
This has been the case at many other airlines that added or removed a row of seats in the past. It always has come out with a different change in one part of the plane than another because of something, whether an exit row, a divider, or whatever, that made it impossible to evenly distribute the change in pitch over every single row in the plane. Which then made people reevaluate which part of the plane they preferred (because suddenly not all non-exit rows were equal!).
I don't understand how it can suddenly be so different at Southwest. It's not a matter of policy, it's a matter of math (and of legal requirements for exit rows).
I thus suggest those of you doing tape measurements measure both one row ahead of the exit plus one row behind the exit, or at the very mention where the row you measured was (if you only measure a row in one part of the plane).
Last edited by sdsearch; Apr 12, 2012 at 7:01 pm Reason: added tape measure paragraph
Apr 20, 2012, 8:05 pm
#175
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First ride
in the new interior & seats today, ABQ-SLC, flight 1174, didn't get the tail #. The up-front FA also said it was his first trip in the new interior, as well.
Seat 4C. No tape measure, but it seemed to me and my 6'0" frame that there was a little less legroom, but adequate for me. The seat did seem a little lower, but all-in-all, I really didn't notice all that much difference. Maybe more noticeable in a 3-4 hour flight than today's 1-1/2 hour flight.
Seat 4C. No tape measure, but it seemed to me and my 6'0" frame that there was a little less legroom, but adequate for me. The seat did seem a little lower, but all-in-all, I really didn't notice all that much difference. Maybe more noticeable in a 3-4 hour flight than today's 1-1/2 hour flight.
Apr 21, 2012, 10:02 pm
#176
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Southwest Airlines New Interior adds 1 row, claims to preserve knee room
At HOU HobbyFest was going on and SWA provided a 73G with the new interior. Here are my pictures of the aircraft
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackhoustonspotters/sets/72157629505776896/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackhoustonspotters/sets/72157629505776896/
Apr 26, 2012, 12:25 am
#177
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Flew in the new seats today on my first (and hopefully last) SWA flight. Seats are reasonably comfortable, but the space is beyond ridiculous. I'm 5'4" and my knees were hitting that joke of a seat pocket (this was in Row 8). I couldn't even jam my magazine and a small (mini, actually) bottle of water in there.
During the flight, I lowered the tray table to place my laptop on it and I couldn't even open the laptop all the way because the tray was so close to me (and no, I don't have any excess weight issues).
Between the anxiety of the Great Seat Expedition -- and face it, their boarding process is nothing but an assigned number cattle call -- and cramped accommodations, I'm definitely resuming my loyalty to Air Tran for as long as possible and then jumping to Delta full time.
During the flight, I lowered the tray table to place my laptop on it and I couldn't even open the laptop all the way because the tray was so close to me (and no, I don't have any excess weight issues).
Between the anxiety of the Great Seat Expedition -- and face it, their boarding process is nothing but an assigned number cattle call -- and cramped accommodations, I'm definitely resuming my loyalty to Air Tran for as long as possible and then jumping to Delta full time.
Apr 26, 2012, 5:59 pm
#179
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In case you haven't heard, based on the success of UA's Economy Plus, Delta last year started Economy Comfort (longhaul int'l first, but coming to throughout domestic, at least mainline), and AA is later this year going to start outfitting its mainline planes with Main Cabin Extra. So pretty soon all 3 major legacies will have seats with extra legroom for sale (or for free for certain elites) in a subset of the main cabin.
And of course VX has had that all along, as also B6 I think. (Though VX has a fairly limited route map, of course.)
So now is the time for Southwest to move backwards in seat space, while "everyone" else is (in a subset of the cabin*), moving forwards???
*"Everyone" else can limit the more-legroom seats to a subset of the cabin and charge extra (to non-elites) for it because everyone else has assigned seating. Southweest can't implement more seat space in just for a subset of the cabin, because no one (especially on through flights) will be able to have it guaranteed (on through flights, even A1 may not get their choice of seat, if enough people from the previous leg took all the "best" seats). So they woudln't be able to make money off of a subset of the only cabin, the way "everyone" else is making money off of a subset of the main cabin.