American’s and Delta’s CEOs promise to not shrink seats any further

An
American Airlines Boeing 777.

Flickr/Eric
Salard

The seats on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines won’t get any
smaller than they are now. At least, that’s what the CEOs of
two of the largest airlines in the world told the Wall Street Journal.

In a recent interview with the publication, American CEO Doug
Parker and Delta chief executive Ed Bastian both “pledged” that
the new seats on their planes won’t be any tighter than they are
now. 

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz declined to take part in the
story which featured both CEOs crammed into a middle seat in the
economy cabin of a Boeing 777, a workhorse of both airlines’
international long-haul fleets. United did not comment on why its
chief executive declined the interview.

Delta’s new Boeing 777 cabin.
Delta News Hub

American’s widebody 777 cabins have seat pitch or the amount of
room between two row of 31 inches. Although, its new
737MAXs have just 30 inches of pitch. While Delta’s revamped
Boeing 777 holds steady at 31 inches. Some of Delta’s older
Airbus A320-family jets also have just 30 inches of pitch, but
Bastian admits that’s a move the airline would no longer
make.  United’s 777s also have 31 inches of pitch. 

There is one difference that sets Delta apart from the other two.
While American’s 777s boast 10-seat per row in a 3-4-3
configuration, Delta offers a roomier nine-seat layout. United
operates a mixture of both nine and ten-abreast 777s. In fact,
Delta and United are some of the last remaining airlines in the
world to a hang nine per-row layout. 

Emirates, the Boeing 777’s largest operator, flies with 10 seats
per row.