Originally Posted by knope2001:18521648
In general, Airbus 3x3 narrowbody aircraft have seats which are about 1" wider than Boeing 3x3 narrobody becuase of wider Airbus cross section. That's responsible for the notch-wider F9 seats.
Getting into the extra-legroom Stretch section will boost your comfort substantially. Here's a bit of a primer about your fare options, including cost to get those Stretch seats. (These are the lowest fares I see in October DCA-LAX.)
$165.59 Economy
$20 each for 1st and 2nd bag
Upgrade to Stretch: $50 DCA-DEN leg, $20 DEN-LAX leg
$275.59 for two bags + stretch seating
$200.59 Classic
2 free bags
Upgrade to Stretch: $40 DCA-DEN leg, $10 DEN-LAX leg
$250.59 for two bags + stretch seating
$260.69 Classic Plus
2 free bags
Stretch seating included
There are a few other benefits to the higher tiers, like extra frequent flyer miles (not alluring to a low-frequency flyer of course) and Classic Plus includes elite lines and free drinks.
If you choose to book Economy and upgrade per-leg, you can deicde if you want to upgrade subsequent legs or not. There's always the chance that all the Stretch seats could be sold out before you check in buy an upgrade. But with 30 Stretch seats per Airbus, you're probably in okay shape.
While looking at the fares on Frontiers site, I found that the difference between Economy and Classic for the flights I want is only $35 per leg. Since I know ill be traveling with 2 checked bags at $20 each per leg, the higher Classic fare would actually save me about $10 on the total fare.
I don't think I'll bother with the upgrade to Stretch seating. I typically have nothing in the underseat area and can put my feet there to get a little more room, but the width is what really concerns me at this point. I'm used to WN's 17" seats, so F9's 18" seats should be a little more comfy for me.