Delta Air Lines is introducing restrictions on how far back seats can recline in an effort to boost customer satisfaction.
Delta is limiting how much seats can recline on certain aircraft. Image by Getty
Few things can be more bothersome on a flight than when the person sitting in front of you reclines their seat all the way back, stealing your personal space, reducing your wriggle room and forcing you to grab hold of your food and drink as they threaten to slide off the meal tray and onto your lap which has been locked in place by the offending seat. Reclining a seat is usually a no-win situation. Any slight increase in comfort you get comes at the expense of the person whose space you are invading.
Would you speak up if someone reclines their seat? Image by Jason Hetherington/Getty Images
So to protect passengers’ personal space, Delta is reducing seat incline by roughly half on 62 Airbus A320s airplanes that fly short- to medium-haul routes that average one-to-two hours. Typically business travel routes. Seats in economy class, including extra-legroom seats, will recline two inches, down from four. In first class, seats will go from more than five inches of recline to roughly three and a half. The airline claims it will give passengers more space to watch TV, surf the internet and eat and drink.
It will take Delta two months to roll out the changes. Image by Sjo/Getty Images
“As part of Delta’s continued efforts to make the in-flight experience more enjoyable, Delta is testing a small change to its A320 aircraft – adjusting the recline throughout to make multitasking easier,” the airline said in a statement. “Delta has no plans to add seats or reduce space between rows with this test – it’s all about protecting customers’ personal space and minimising disruptions to multitasking in-flight.”
The first Delta airline with recline restrictions took off last Saturday but it will take two months to get the entire A320 fleet retrofitted. The airline calls the program a test; feedback from customers will determine whether this change will be rolled out across other domestic aircraft. If passengers aren’t happy with the change, the airline might reverse the decision.
Delta’s move follows a decision by British Airways in 2018 to eliminate the ability for passengers to recline on short-haul flights with its new fleet of planes.
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