Back in 2000, American removed rows of coach seats – roughly 7,200 or 6.2% of the total number in the fleet – in a failed attempt to differentiate on the basis of comfort. What the airline found was that consumers were ultimately swayed far more by price than legroom, or service, or any other factor for that matter. Consumers in the United States were (and are still) more than happy to be crushed like sardines if it would save them $20 or $40 on a cross-country flight. By late 2004, American had already put the seat rows back in all their 757 and A300 aircraft when they decided to reverse the financially disastrous move fleet-wide.
What kind of aircraft did you fly in on AA? An American 757 has economy pitch of 31” to 32” while a Virgin A319 has 32” to 33” – not a significant difference. Are you sure you weren’t seated in Virgin’s “Select Class” of economy?
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