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Old Mar 13, 2012 | 12:30 pm
  #24  
knope2001
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,653
Originally Posted by mke9499
New seat maps show Airbus aircraft with 30" to 32" of pitch for Select.
http://www.frontierairlines.com/who-...et/airbus-a320
Thanks for finding and posting this. I had not looked for this info on the Frontier site and am happy to see it here. Unfortunately it often contradicts itself on pitch by an inch or so. For example, the A320 page "specification" section says that Stretch is 36" and 31" elsewhere, but the numbers next to the map say Stretch is 36" (except exit is 38"), Select is 30-31", and it's 30" elsewhere. Which is more accurate?

Anyway, here's a quick summary of the mainline fleet:

Stretch
A320 36" (38" Exit)
A319 36" (38" Exit)
A318 36" (38" Exit)
E190 36" (39.5" Exit)

Select
A320 30-31"
A319 31"
A318 31-32"
E190 31"

Standard
A320 30"
A319 30-31"
A318 30-31"
E190 30-31" (aircraft with all 2x2)
E190 31" (ex-US aircraft with 1x2 Stretch and 2x2 elsewhere)

A few things to note:

--The A320 map shows the 168-seat configuration, which includes the extra row. So the bulk of the A320 is at 30"

--No rows are being moved as a part of the Select designation -- the legroom in any particular row this week is the same as it was last week. (The added row on the 320 is not soming new with the "Select" rollout.)

--In cases where they give a range (such as 30-31") there's nothing to suggest how much is one versus the other, or where. A 30-31" pitch might be just a few at 30 and most at 31, or vice versa.

--The importance of seat design is really driven home to me by seeing both the 1x2 E190 and the 2x2 E190 are 36" in Stretch. Stretch in a 1x2 cabin is good but not excessive in legroom, while Stretch on the 2x2 planes is much more roomy. That's apparently because the ex-US first class seats used on the 1x2 Stretch sections are more bulky and/or not well contoured for legroom compared to the standard 2x2 seats used in the Stretch section of other E190's.

Those of you who remember the original all-2x2 717's on Midwest may remember that legroom wasn't bad but wasn't exactly luxurious in spite of the 34" pitch...and that's because of the bulky seats they used. (IIRC when they went to the mixed cabin the Signature section went to 35".) I used to be a big user of SeatGuru but not so much anymore...especially when it comes to trying to make judgements on pitch. The numbers don't really tell you what perceived legroom is because so much can depend on seat design. If the A320 is going from 31" to 30" to add that extra row, and if the seats are the same, people are getting an inch less of legroom. But is that 30" pitch the same experience as 30" on the Q400, or a Hawaiian 767-300 or an AirTran 717? Maybe, mabye not.

It's not very satisfying or precise, but its hard to know without experiencing it.
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