How Your Airplane Seat Might Be DIFFERENT in the Future

If you’ve traveled to Disney World or Universal Studios Florida, you may have flown into Orlando International Airport.

Airlines have been struggling with the challenges of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to pilot shortages, flight delays, and cancellations. But there have also been some big changes made when it comes to flying, including the opening of a new terminal at the Orlando airport, increased pressure to implement stricter flight refund rules, and more. But there’s one specific thing that could be DIFFERENT on your future flights to Orlando or beyond.

Some of the big changes happening in the airline industry have to do with airplane seats. Let’s go through some of the major updates.

American Airlines

According to CNN, American Airlines is dropping its first-class seats and replacing them with more options for business-class seats. The airline stated this change is based on customer demand. This change won’t necessarily affect domestic flights though. Essentially, it seems this alteration will be made for international flights.

It appears these changes relate partially to the introduction of the new Flagship Suite premium seats coming to some of American Airlines’ planes (specifically for its long-haul fleet). These seats will offer a “private premium experience” with a chaise lounge seating option and more personal storage space.

Passengers will begin to see these suites in 2024 on the Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 787-9.

Click here to read more about the changes being made at American Airlines

Spirit Airlines

In the meantime, Spirit Airlines just announced that it will be making seats that are wider with more cushioning and “more comfortable features to continue enhancing the Guest experience.”

The new seats are called “Vector Light” and “Vector Premium” for Big Front Seats.

Spirit Airlines has been working on updating its planes lately, particularly after it announced a new-look interior in 2019 that features roomier seats and other details.

The “redesigned interior” will be coming to Spirit’s new planes in late January 2023. The airline has ordered 33 new A320 aircraft to be in the air from then and throughout the rest of 2023. Here’s what guests can expect on the new planes:

An extra half-inch of width in each seat. Middle seats will continue to be an inch wider than aisle and window seats.
Continued use of “curved seatback designs that unlock space at the knee level.” This includes two more inches of knee space than what’s offered on legacy airlines with the same pitch.
All seats will have more cushion and new headrests.
The seats will be lighter, which will increase fuel efficiency.

When it comes to Spirit Airlines’ “Big Front Seats,” those are getting some changes too.

They’ll feature “more cushion, nearly an inch more pre-recline, easier to reach tray tables and a wider seatback.”

You can see some of the changes detailed below.

And more changes could be on the way.

Seat Dimensions

Back in August, we shared that the Federal Aviation Administration was seeking comments on airline seat dimensions. Specifically, these comments were sought concerning seat dimensions for passenger safety.

The comments were being requested following a cabin evacuation study from March of 2022, to examine whether more regulations are needed to ensure a safe evacuation. Though they are simply seeking comments, this could ultimately lead to some changes in the future.

Click here to learn more about this situation

So if you’re flying in the next few years, be on the lookout for these new planes with comfier seats. Just remember that some changes mainly impact international or long-haul flights, so your experience can vary.

Regardless of when you’ll be flying, make sure you’re prepared for potential problems. Become familiar with your airline’s delay and cancellation policies, as well as any other cancellation policies you might need to know at your final destination (like Disney World).

For more travel-related information, check out our stories below.