Only 29 Inches Will Separate Some Seats In Their 737 MAX Airplanes

Just when you thought an economy seat on an airliner could not get any less comfortable, along comes an announcement by American Airlines that it will be decreasing the distance between seats by from 31 to 29 inches in three rows, and 30 inches in the remainder of the main economy cabin.

Decreasing the space between seats, known as the pitch, will allow the airline to add more seats to the airplanes.

The industry minimum is 28 inches. If you've flown low-cost carriers Spirit Airlines or Frontier Airlines, you know what that's like.

CNN Money reports the United may also be considering such a move, though the airline would not comment on information gathered from an anonymous source. United's CEO Oscar Munoz spent some time before Congress this week apologizing for the treatment of a passenger who was dragged off an airliner in Chicago, and promising to improve the customer experience.

American's 737 MAX jets will have more than 170 seats, according to two sources to spoke to CNN, compared to 160 seats on its current 737-800s. The lavatories will also be smaller, one of the sources said. The carrier will be maintaining the 31-inch pitch in its "Main Cabin Extra" economy seats, as well as 16 first class seats.

Passengers will still pay regular economy fares for the seats with less legroom. The Airline may also reconfigure the seats in its 737-800s, but no final decision has been made, according to a company spokesperson.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.aa.com, Original Report