Passengers will benefit from two inches more legroom
Passengers on board EasyJet flights will benefit from up to two inches more legroom when it installs new seats, the airline has announced.
Although passengers will have to wait a few more years to feel the benefit. The budget airline revealed that it has placed an order for Kestrel seats from British manufacturer Mirus to be fitted in 237 new planes from 2028.
According to EasyJet, this will provide up to two inches more legroom compared with existing seats despite the pitch, the distance between two seat rows, being unchanged. The extra room is possible because of the shape and thickness of the seats, Mirus said.
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They are designed so the occupant’s hips and spine are positioned further back, creating additional legroom. Carbon fibre rather than the traditional plastic is used to produce the seats, which enables them to be thinner, providing more space for the person behind.
The new seats will also be more than 20per cent lighter than its current seats, leading to a weight saving of up to 500kg per aircraft. This is estimated to deliver a fleet-wide annual fuel saving of more than 12,936 tonnes.
The seats have what is described as a “fixed recline” of 22 degrees. They cannot be manually reclined.
David Morgan, easyJet’s chief operating officer, said: “We are delighted to be introducing the Mirus Kestrel seat across our future fleet. This investment supports our continued focus on making our operations as efficient as possible, capitalising on small incremental gains that result in meaningful reductions in fuel burn and CO2 emissions.
“On top of the sustainability benefits, the additional legroom and enhanced comfort these seats will provide will also deliver an improved onboard experience for our customers which we know they’ll love.”
The order means Kestrel economy seats will feature across deliveries of easyJet’s future Airbus A320neo and A321neo fleet from 2028. Mirus chief executive Ben McGuire said it was “one of the largest single-model aircraft seat awards ever”.
He added that the manufacturer is committed to “enhancing passenger experience and comfort, while delivering sustainability and significant operational cost savings”. Earlier this month consumer group Which? published research showing the majority of easyJet’s existing aircraft have a seat pitch of 29 inches.
The short-haul carriers with the smallest seat pitch were found to be Jet2, KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, SAS, TAP Portugal, Vueling and Wizz Air. They all have at least some cabins with a 28-inch seat pitch, Which? said.
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