Following on from a survey of travelers on popular flight comparison website Skyscanner in late 2013, UK airline Monarch – whose fleet of 46 aircraft fly to destinations around Europe from their base at Luton Airport in the UK – has joined “no frills” airlines like Ryanair in taking away the capacity for their seats to recline. On the survey, 9 in 10 passengers said the wanted feature removed from airlines, while 6 in 10 flight attendants said they’d seen fights between passengers over the common feature.
The airline isn’t stopping there with the changes, however, introducing “non-reclining ergonomic aircraft seats, using modern design principles and light-weight materials to increase legroom within a seat pitch and reduce fuel emissions*.” The seats thinner designed, compared to what’s used in the automotive industry, also includes an aviation first: a tablet holder at the back of every seat.
Branding themselves as more of a “holiday” airline than a “no frills” one, these changes do have the possibility of impacting the decisions of airlines at a similar level. But much in the same way that an airline like Singapore Airlines isn’t going to start charging for food just because their budget counterparts do, this is unlikely to be a change that will make its way across to premium international aircraft. If the poll had been about the Los Angeles to Sydney route, we at AU Abroad doubt anyone would have opted for a lack of reclining capacity.
Tim Williamson, Director of Customer Experience and Marketing, had this to say about the changes: “Our new ergonomic seats have been designed with our customers’ needs in the forefront of our minds. The new non-reclining design gives our customers far more “living space” than traditional seats, without the fear of the person in front impinging on their personal space.”
“We noted from customer feedback that seat storage is particularly important. The new seats offer more flexibility than traditional ‘pockets,’ using the concept of the bungee cord the storage area can now comfortably fit water bottles, jackets and even kids’ toys. The innovative tablet holder also enables our customers to create their own personal in-flight entertainment system.”
*For instance, when compared with a set of Monarch’s existing seats, a set of new seats on a flight to Egypt saves 255kg fuel, which is equivalent to 816kg of carbon dioxide saved on a single flight.
For more on Monarch Airlines, head to http://www.monarch.co.uk/
