As airlines prioritize premium at the expense of economy, less comfort and legroom are headed our way on Hawaii flights. Here’s what the future holds at these airlines..
As airlines prioritize premium at the expense of economy, less comfort and legroom are headed our way on Hawaii flights. Here’s what the future holds at these airlines..
As a side note, considering JetBlue’s current operational problems and intent to layoff flight attendants, I hardly think that JetBlue’s President, Marty St. George is even remotely thinking about planning or adding any service to Hawaii in the near future.
JetBlue has cut back and is in the process of eliminating even more service from LAX. Other than trans-cons and the crazy LAX-SLC flight – JetBlue will not have much left at LAX other than extra gate space.
I anything, I wouldn’t be surprised if Allegiant again tips their toe in the water to Hawaii. Soon they will begin operating their version of the 737 MAX 8, the 200 version. Full to the gills with 190 passengers!
For comparison, AA’s MAX 8 carries 172 passengers in both first and coach. Southwest carries 175 on their MAX 8’s.
I would not be surprised that Allegiant at some point requests ETOPS authority for their MAX’s and places Hawaii on their radar.
I’m sympathetic to the happy human beings who managed to reach 6’+ in life, but for yours truly, at 5-7 and shrinking, those “Hi fella, I’m your seatmate” in Economy are still doable.
I’d rather they make All seats, behind first class, equal. Give the seats more leg room and make the seats more comfortable to sit for long flights. I’d rather they charge $50 more for each and every seat & everyone gets a comfortable seat. Book early, pick your favorite seat. Early booking has its advantage. Thats the way it used to be in the past.
Hi Victoria.
Sorry to say, that ship has sailed.
Aloha.
And yet, here we are. We have evolved to this new equilibrium. Usually, going “backwards” is not in the best financial interests of companies. It’s when new competition arrives and takes market share that businesses “pivot” to compete. That may happen and the current crop of providers will respond. And then they’ll attempt to buy up that competition to improve market share and satisfy Wall Street. Capitalism 101. They charge a lot of money at Ivy League schools for that.
American Airlines tried that very concept back in 2000 – 2003. They called it “More Room Throughout Coach”. They removed rows, spaced all the seats out to give everyone a little more room, and raised the fares by a very small amount (an average of $10).
It was a failure. While there were several competitive factors at play, when push came to shove, the public chose cheaper fares over more comfort.
As far as I’m concerned, being white nuckles flyer but past frequent flyer, the “new”planes are All bad. One aisle is uncomfortable, claustrophobic, impossible to get through when f.a.s are working, not to mention in case of emergency/panic there will be a stampede in One Aisle. first class is no different. I’ll drive to sfo to get on a 767 before I fly an a321 out of sac. Plus the a321 have more turbulence.
I was more comfortable sailing back on a 52 foot yawl.
I’m afraid it’s not the aircraft, it’s how the individual airlines configure them. Next time you fly cross-country, try JetBlue’s MINT cabin. Narrow-body aircraft are no more or less comfortable than wide-bodies. It’s a factor of how many seats per row, and how closely they’re spaced. Also, perhaps a better understanding of how turbulence works. Aircraft type has nothing to do with it. I’ve been thrown around in a 747 as much as a 737.
It is all about the money The big hotels want to get rid of there competition STRs But the result will be loss of jobs , businesses of all kinds and empty condos and houses Because they will be unaffordable So the winners the hotels the losers everyone else
It Is. That’s A Why the narrow bodies with One aisle. Jam us in. First is not really better, still one aisle with that silly curtain.
As an airline employee in the 70s-80s, I lament the current state of the industry. Coach (as it was called back then) was 32-34 inches pitch and more on international flights. I flew on Singapore to Hawaii when they stopped over and those seats were more comfortable than premium economy today! PSA was 34 inches pitch and you could cross your legs, and they only flew up down the west coast. Economics is driving the seat mix these days as airlines maximize revenue, but keep in mind that fares today have hardly risen on a absolute basis. 30+ years ago I was paying $400 for roundtrip. Inflation since then would price that @ $1436. Unless the travelling public decides to find an alternative transportation mode (difficult to HI I admit) so the airlines loose revenue, then to preserve ‘equal’ access to air travel the government needs to step in and require quality standards as they do safety. Common sense ones, as the market place needs guardrails or we all get run over eventually. Cheers
I agree. the most important guardrail the government should impose is a minimum seat pitch of 32″ for safety reasons; the comfort factor will be an unintended consequence. I can’t imagine trying to evacuate from a plane in an emergency from the window seat in a 3-3 configuration on a 30″ pitch aircraft. After 2 years, the minimum pitch should go to 33″. The FAA has been too airline friendly for decades and our safety and comfort has paid the price.
Today Scott Kirby CEO of United said that he expects the current overcapacity to be reduced by airlines cutting money losing routes.
Then he expects airfares to go up. According to him current per mile revenue for the airline industry needs to go up to increase their profits back to normal levels.
The negative tone of the article entirely misses the mark. Airlines are reacting to increasing **consumer** demand (worldwide) for more premium seating configurations. It is not necessarily “bad,” and it’s not unique to Hawaii routes. The premium sections (first, business, premium economy, economy plus, etc.) are often full (sometimes via upgrade) while there are empty seats in cattle car economy. The airlines are just adapting and adjusting to **consumer** demands/tastes. I, for one, despite being a kupuna, can easily tolerate a 5.5-hour flight to the mainland so I usually fly economy — even on Beat of Hawaii’s least favorite airline, Southwest. I applaud more **consumer** choices for the amount of legroom and amenities. Those who are willing to pay for more goodies, should be able to choose those goodies. What Hawaii needs is a Jetstar-like option to the Mainland. Start at $109 and then pay for extras.
Hi Aloha M.
Not sure who tells you we have favorite airlines. Between the two editors we’ve flown the one you mentioned 8 times in the past few weeks.
Aloha.
With all respect, you totally missed/ignored the point of my post.
Why do so many elites who cram down their solutions to a naturally changing climate on the vast middle class think it’s fine for them to have 2 or 3 times the space for their comfort on an airplane? Their 1st and business class seating arrangements use vastly more carbon than economy per person flown. Of course the upper elites fly private using even more fuel per person. All the while normal people postpone vacations so they can pay sky high gasoline and electric bills caused by the same elites policies trying to modify the earth’s climate. If you really believe “climate change” is a threat to human survival then suck it up and cram yourself into that economy sized seat with the rest of the proletariats.
If someone really believes climate change, ask insurance companies why they would insure Obama beach house…. Or any other of the thousands of beach front properties throughout America.
Last year Sacramento set a day high record. It beat a record from the 1920’s. I guess it was hot back then as well?
Anybody care to explain the Dust Bowl in the Midwest way back when?
Anybody see that wind turbine fall apart in the ocean? Supposedly “super rare”!
Climate activists.
His latest “Beach house” required tearing up Graves of Alii in hawaii. Sick. The funny part is they built a seawall to “keep back the sea” LOL!!!!
Seat gauge is being driven by Breeze who is introducing the A221 to Hawaii it’s standard seat gauge is Big. Plus It’s a 2+3 layout like the DC-9 was so there are many fewer center seats. Overhang bins are very large. Cabin altitude is also lower. BTW, Delta operates this A/C as well and will certainly start flying them to HI if Breeze makes it. But they can’t get enough of them so they will probably wait and see. Airlines always respond to competition.
We haven’t flown in Economy for many years.
It’s just too uncomfortable, especially when lodging is about 70 %
of your vacation and when car rental is just as much as airfare.
Nahalo, but What does that have to do with economy? The 70 %? That you spend a third on flying?
This boils my blood. No one should suffer these rides without being able to stretch out your legs in front of you. I hate traveling these days, being packed in like sardines. You can’t easily bend down to get to your bag under the seat ahead of you. Then, you have that passenger ahead of you leaning their seat back as far as it will go. Then you really can’t reach your stuff! Good Customer Service left a long time ago from the industry. I can’t afford those extra premium fees for more leg room! 😠
The hostility of the “tax and spend” toward out of state owners , supporting those who receive both state and federal support has finally killed the goose that killed the golden egg. Who is going to pay for those ever rising guaranteed pension and health care benefits of those state employees? Not the Hawaiians, whose property taxes are limited to a 3% increase per year. No, they will keep taxing the small business “out of state rich people”who have paid for this. I have owned and rented out my condo in Poipu where I also live part of the year for 35 years. Paradise lost.
I gave up on flying jetblue right after 9/11 having had blad head of the passenger infront of my row all the from jfk to lax.
I cant see how how this is safe craming in ppl wont meet the 1 minute rule to evacuate a plane.
Rising airfares will killthehi travel mkt.
The solution is to let more foreign carriers operate domeztically. Say french bee west coast to hnl then ppt.
Another way to look at it is that it will encourage only those who can afford some kind of premium seating to vacation in Hawaii? Which is the goal of the HI government – higher paying, higher revenue tourists and let the downmarket shift to Mexico or stay home?
A bit surprised at the JB changes – their reasonable economy seat pitch (along with free WiFi) was something which set them apart.
Pay up, or squeeze in! The wife and I flew to Spain RT Iberia airlines coach. I knew it was a bad idea, but the tickets were cheep and business class for two would have been another $10K. It absolutely sucked. I was sore for the first several days after arrival, and my wife blew her stack after the return and announced she will never fly coach (or Iberia) international again. As for Hawaii, Southwest coach not great, but believe it or not, it’s luxurious compared to Iberia.
Hi David.
Sorry about that experience. We could have told you that, and shared our own similar stories.
Aloha.
Friends don’t let friends fly iberia
Ridiculous this premium crap just more money put all the seats behind first class the same price first to book gets first pick and be done with it everything has to be add on no wonder this country is going down to much greed!!!
No different now than in the past. You have money, you are good.
I just returned from a trip to Europe. On our leg from Rome to London, we booked Business Class on British Airways (they had Business Class and Economy). Upon boarding we realized half the plane was considered Business Class – all the way to the emergency exit rows. Business Class meant extra leg room, 2 bags checked, and the middle seat left empty. A flight attendant stated that it was a popular route for business class. I’ve also noticed on Alaska Airlines Kauai flights that Premium Class is often sold out prior to check-in/upgrade time. This seems to be the trend as mentioned in your article.
Hi Chris.
Thanks for that. BTW that’s how business class has worked within Europe for some time. You get a meal and a blocked middle seat. 😊
Aloha.
We have purchased premium seating for years as several members of our family are well over 6 ft tall and can’t fit comfortably in an economy seat. I’ve noticed that the pricing for those seats continues to rise on both Hawaiian and Alaska. That makes it very expensive to travel
As a family. Thanks for keeping us informed.
Hi Lee.
Thanks for that feedback and way over 100 other comments!
Aloha.
United flys a domestically configured 777 with 2 4 2 across in Business Class. Delta on a few wide body aircraft use the International Configuration as well. American Airlines uses internationally configured Business Class on all it’s wide body flights to Hawaii on its 777’s & 787’s. Would personally pick the Delta flight if it had the international configuration, then American, then United. Wouldn’t pick Southwest as they don’t have a Business Class. Hawaiian is flying the new 787 out of PHX, so that would be at the top of my list as well.
As I like flying widebodies, which are becoming fewer and fewer for U.S. domestic travel, I will purchase the UA domestic 777 in first – just Not the backwards facing seats!
Others have mentioned JetBlue’s Mint – I prefer the UA international/Polaris 757’s. For a narrow body on a domestic flight, I prefer those 757’s as they offer much more room to stretch out – and only 16 seats in first. A pro tip, all of UA’s 757-200’s have Polaris seating.
The cramped “flying with the chickens” 757-300’s (ex Continental) have standard domestic first class seats and a whopping total of 232 seats! Stay away from those if you can. It’s like getting Frontier or Spirit with United’s name slapped on the side of the airplane!
Too bad the economics of a JSX-style service would not work intra-Hawaii.