British Airways to squeeze in more passengers per flight by shrinking economy seat space
As the average size of people grows the airline plans to reduce the space afforded to passengers as they aim to install one more seat per row by 2018
BRITISH AIRWAYS plans to shrink the space currently given to economy passengers and add in more seats so 52 more people can board each flight.
The airline giant is to add the seats into Boeing 777s at Gatwick from 2018, with those based at Heathrow next.
Currently these planes, which are the most commonly used for passengers using BA, has nine economy seats per row.
But these new plans would see that increase to 10 seats per row.
The number of toilets could stay that same despite the extra numbers, meaning those waiting in familiar long lines to relieve themselves could be waiting even longer.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA's parent company IAG, told investors at a Capital Markets Day: "We’re responding to a market opportunity.”
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He said the move would allow BA to “lower the average cost per seat, charge a lower price and stimulate demand”.
A spokesperson for BA said it was updating the planes to "bring us into line with many of our competitors".
This comes after it was announced passengers will have to pay for food and drink on short-haul flights if they want a mid-air snack.
The airline is ditching the free food on offer on flights under five hours, putting it on the same page as other no-frills carriers like easyJet and Ryanair.
Other airlines which have 10 seats per row include Air New Zealand and Emirates.
While space for passengers would be smaller, BA has said the economy cabin would be fitted with new entertainment systems.
The airline also has plans to add in 12 extra seats on short haul flights using the Airbus A320 flying from Heathrow.
BA passengers will be able to surf the web using wifi on short-haul flights from next summer.
The technology will allow passengers to watch streaming services, such as Netflix, watch Skype or FaceTime family and friends across multiple devices.
Read how a BA pilot suspended over sex selfies in a cockpit could be in more trouble — for not wearing a seatbelt.
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