HONG Kong’s Cathay Pacific has indicated it will move to more cramped 10-abreast economy seating in its Boeing 777s, joining a growing trend among operators of one of the world’s most popular airliners.
Cathay chief executive Ivan Chu revealed the intention to move from the current nine- abreast economy configuration in an interview with the The South China Morning Post.
“If you look at the Boeing 777s, which everybody uses from the Gulf to the US to European carriers and ourselves, the standard is 3-4-3. I think we are moving towards that stage, it’s very clear.” Chu told the paper.
Chu promised to maintain the airline’s 32-inch (81.3cm) seat pitch but the width of seats would reduce by up to 1.5 inches (3.8cm) if Cathay follows the lead of other airlines that have adopted the configuration. Cathay offers a generous 18.5-inch wide seat on its nine-abreast B777-300ERs but only 17.5 inches on its regional 777-200s, according to SeatGuru.
The airline’s cabin crew union warned the changes would be bad for passengers but Chu said scarce landing and take-off slots in Hong Kong meant the move was necessary.
The move is expected to add up to 35 more economy seats on regional aircraft and at least 17 more on long-haul flights. The Post calculated this would add nearly 1.1 million extra seats per year to the 70 Boeings in the Cathay fleet and amount to 4 per cent seats a year.
“We want to generate more seats per slot, that’s the key thing,’’ Chu said. “That’s why we are doing it. It’s very important we do it.’’
The decision comes as airline yields, a measure of average fares, are falling globally and airline executives say passenger choices are increasingly being made on price.
The International Air Transport Association said recently the average global yield to June had continued to trend downwards in US dollar terms.
“However, adjusting for distortions associated with movements in the US dollar shows that downward pressure on underlying (is constant exchange rate) yields has actually intensified over the past six months or so,’’ the association said, noting this was tied to a moderation in demand.
The 10-abreast 777 economy configuration,, although disliked by passengers, has become more common among operators of the aircraft.
Airlines which have already moved to the seating include Air Canada, Emirates, Etihad, Air New Zealand, KLM and American Airlines.
Airlines which still operate nine-abreast economy seating include Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia, British Airways and Delta Air Lines.
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