Spirit Has New Seats! Here’s Why I Like Them
When I boarded the A319 Saturday morning for my flight, at first glance I thought, “Are you kidding me?” when I saw the new seats. But after I settled in and was able to retrieve an item I dropped on the floor by actually bending over to get it (in the past, this had to be done with one’s feet) I was impressed.
Spirit’s new seats are closer together. Which mean two things. First, the armrest is really thin.
Pretty hard to fit two elbows on a space that’s less than two inches wide, but the beauty of this is it resulted in a much wider aisle!
I was able to roll my bag to my seat in row 29 without banging into another seat. A flight attendant told me that the wider aisle has contributed to an even faster turn around for Spirit’s planes since they are able to load and unload even faster. It is true. People were actually out of the aisle as people were passing.
The next thing one will notice is the table tray. Well, that’s been reduced to about the size of a shelf.
The maximum expansion of the new tray table is probably no more than six inches.
One can’t help but notice the disappearance of the seat pocket. It’s been reduced to straps! But I realized the obvious benefit to passengers. That is no mystery tissue or other gross stuff can become hidden inside a pocket and attach to my belongings. Obviously, this will save time in cleaning the aircraft on Spirit’s end. An additional comfort is one will no longer be irritated by the person/child digging endlessly in the back pocket of one’s seat nor will one have the discomfort of the knees of a sloucher in one’s back.
The seats are thin. Probably no more than two inches wide.
But these changes are worth it! One actually has leg room. The seating is much more comfortable. Look at the amount of leg room I had. (I am 5’4″ for the record).
Look how comfortable the passengers in front of me appear to be in this photo.
Spirit’s new seats are a winner by me. The wider aisle and added legroom are worth the tradeoffs.
~Bella
