JetBlue announced yesterday that they’ll be reconfiguring their Airbus A320 fleet to include several rows of seating with 38″ of pitch. These “Even More Legroom” seats will be available to you—for a small fee.
Starting April 1, the airline will be charging between $10 and $20 for four more inches of legroom in rows 2-5. CEO David Barger says the new roomier seats don’t come at the expense of other passengers:
“Lots of Legroom, free TVs, generous snacks and friendly service are all part of the core JetBlue Experience, and these in-flight perks will always be provided at no extra cost to the customer,” said Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways. “Our new value-added legroom product gives customers the option to make their flight even more comfortable and enjoyable with Even More Legroom, but not at the expense of other customers.”
We wondered if JetBlue was able to violate the laws of physics so we asked them how it was possible to give more legroom to a few without taking it away from others.
Here’s the magic: Rows 1-11 used to have 36″ of pitch while the rest of the plane had 34″. (The industry average is a knee-torturing 31″.) Now rows 2-5 will have 38″ and the rest will have 34″.
We also asked what would happen if all the regular seats were sold out. Does JetBlue anticipate dealing with a lot of parents upset that they have to pay an extra $10 for legroom for an 8-year-old?
“If “Even More Legroom” seats are the only seats available, and the customers do not request or want an “Even More Legroom” seat, we will not require them to pay the fee,” said Alison from JetBlue.
JetBlue Airways Reveals an Option to Exercise Even More Legroom (Press Release) [JetBlue]
(Photo:meghannmarco)
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When I read this today, I booked a a cross-country business trip in June, and the company gladly consented to paying $40 more so I could be more comfortable. Beats the cost of first class seating any day.
The rest of the office crew chose to fly out on USAir in coach, buwhaaahaaaaaa!
Love the TVs on board. On a JetBlue trip a few years back, a lot of us were watching a live Neil Diamond performance on A&E that was taking phone requests from viewers. Someone on board called in on a seat phone and requested he sing a song “for the folks watching on JetBlue flight xx”. Very cool.
How can David Barger call it “value-added” if they CHARGE you for it? That’s NOT value-added. They give you something then charge you for it. Unless they’re not making a profit on this change (bwahhaha), it’s VALUE-NET-LOSS. Guess that doesn’t sound as good on the PR-o-meter. *grumble*
Hey I’d gladly pay $20 for a couple extra inches. Drum roll please. Thank You Ladies and Gentlemen. I’ll be appearing Fridays at Mohegan Sun and don’t forget to catch my special shows this summer in the Catskills.
This is a great idea. $10-$20 isn’t a lot, and it allows short people to think twice before hogging all the good spots for tall people. It’s just a little added incentive to keep some more comfortable seats free for tall people, and you don’t have to pay crazy first-class prices. I don’t see any downside here.
The problem is they’re not going to “keep the seats for tall people”, they’re going to keep them for people who pay for them”.
@rainmkr:
I don’t understand why people recline their seats on flights anymore. We all know that it only screws the person behind you. Even if you’re not tall, you can’t open your laptop up on your lap to watch a movie (though irrelevant on JetBlue).