WN Widens 737 Y Seats for More Comfort - Will UA Follow?
 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...bin?cmpid=yhoo

For those who claimed 18" wide Y seats on the 737 were impossible, we now have an example of 17.8" wide Y seats - almost 3/4" wider than a UA seat.

Per the article, the seats even save weight on the aircraft while adding comfort for passengers.

It's probably a rhetorical question especially given the investment in a more punishing and harsh seat model that was recently speculated, but why can't UA install these seats on the 737s as they get refurbished (and new 737 deliveries)?

Isn't this just a measuring trick? Actual seat width on the 737 is constrained by aircraft width. If it was an Airbus, I'd believe the seat was actually wider.

Is there actually a noticeable difference going from 17" to 18"? I flew on a UA 787 not too long ago, and while people love to complain about the seat width, it honestly felt the same as any other Y seat. I feel like Y is Y, and it's going to be just as uncomfortable regardless of another .5" or so.

No, I don't believe so - WN isn't that stupid, especially when they are claiming the seat is physically bigger. WN customers would be able to spot a trick rather easily, especially as they move between the old and new seats.

Not sure how they did it aside from narrowing the aisle, but they are not the only airline with wider Y seats on the 737 - Japan Airlines has a new type of wide seat that is almost 18" and it might be the same seat that WN is buying.

Yes there is a noticeable difference. You can experience it on UA, just connect from a 737 to a A3xx.

I wonder if these news seats are different height? If you raised them up or lowered them a bit couldn't you get to a slightly wider place in the fuselage? Further trimming the nearly non-existent armrest would allow some more space as well.

I can certainly notice a difference on the 787, especially with the tray tables, I can not use my laptop and have a drink at the same time unless I put the drink in my lap. On other planes I can put my pc a bit off the edge of the table and still be able to keep my drink cup and can there.

There is Y and there is worse Y. Have you flown on a new WN slimline? That is the most claustrophobic Y seat I've ever experienced. We did outbound on the old, return on the new, and the difference was dramatic. I can't imagine what the LLCs with 29" pitch must be like.

Yes.

WN is measuring from inside the arm rests. By making the arm rest narrower the distance between the arm rests increases. Even though passengers are just as crammed together as always. Airbus played similar games when demoing the 11-abreast layout A380 in Hamburg this week. I'm still trying to get in to the B/E Aerospace booth here to see the seats in person and confirm a few things, but every indication so far is that these "wider seats" are really nothing of the sort.

Can Boca please clarify his last paragraph above?

Is UA considering a "more punishing and harsh seat model" than their recent slimlines? What could that be? A bed of nails?

The article states that the seat cushion itself is getting wider-I highly doubt that the "horizontal pitch" (is that even a thing?) is increasing..seems just like another marketing spin...

Sorry, I disagree. Either the seat cushion is wider or it's not. This is something any customer can feel for themselves, not to mention measure. Are you claiming there is no physical difference in comfort between a 17.1" 737 seat and a 18" A320 seat?

Since I doubt you've actually seen or tested the WN seat, it's premature to claim the upgrade as a "measuring trick" and there is no difference in seat cushion size.

I meant the slimline seats they recently bought, hence little incentive to change to a new seat that offers more comfort.

No. I never said anything remotely close to that. I said that measuring between the arm rests is a game the companies play. And they are definitely playing that game these days in an effort to make economy class passengers believe that things are not getting even more cramped in the back.

You are correct that I have not yet sat in it. I made that quite clear above. B/E Aerospace is a pain in the arse at this conference in terms of getting access to the booth for such.

I did, however, sit in the new 11-abreast A380 design which Airbus claims still has the 18" seat width. And it does between the arm rests. But the arm rests are also materially narrower. Shoulder space is tighter. So is foot space, particularly at the window seat where passengers will have only ~13" of width despite being supposedly in an "18 inch seat" there. I have photos showing that which I'm editing at some point today hopefully. I'll be sure to share when I have that completed.

I think I've read earlier that WN managed this by reducing the distance between the window seat and the sidewall. If you look at the pictures, the window seat headrest is quite close to the side of the airplane.

The actual seat width in Y is less important to me than the width available at the shoulders. My shoulders are broader than my butt.

For me, the arm rest is way too low which makes every Y flight uncomfortable. Having the ability to raise the arm rest or having multi-level arm rest for taller people would be cat's meow for me.

Shoulder width is just as important as I am wide there too. I wonder who designs these seats and dare them to sit beside me in Y on a redeye. Shoulder width and arm rest height, I can only imagine.

"Older aircraft won’t be retrofitted with the new seats, Southwest said."

Sat in the new WN seats about 6 months ago. Never again. The last possible reason to fly WN (Seat size) is gone.