Starting April 13, it might be tougher for certain Delta passengers to reach snoozing altitude at cruising altitude: Their seats won’t recline as far back.
The Atlanta-based airline has announced a plan to retrofit its 62 Airbus A320 jets with seats that tilt back only in an effort to create more personal space for passengers.
The news was first reported by The Points Guy’s Scott Mayerowitz, who added that it should take two months for the airline to install the new seats.
The A320 jets affected mostly fly quick one- to two-hour trips in North America. The refitted seats won’t be be rolled out for international flights.
After the alterations, coach seats will be reduced from a 4-inch recline to a 2-inch one. Meanwhile, seats in first class will go from a 5.5-inch recline to 3.5 inches.
The airline says these changes are a test; feedback from passengers will determine whether this change will affect other domestic jets or whether coach seats will return to their prior 4-inch tilt.
The alterations neither impact leg room per seat nor add extra seats to the cabins.
In essence, the move is about preventing a sudden deep recline of any passenger, which bothers the person seated right behind. Also, since the A320 planes have back-of-seat screens with entertainment that doesn’t tilt at an angle, the reduced recline means that passengers can still watch movies and shows with good visibility. It also means that there’s more space for folks in the middle and window seats to wriggle out of their spots to get to the aisle and, say, head to the restroom.
“I’m sure it will reduce some friction between passengers,” airline industry consultant Robert Mann tells The Points Guy. “Every one of those incidents creates at least one irate customer and one who wonders what all the fuss is about.”