Spirit Airlines Is Upgrading New Planes With Roomier, Comfier Seats — and There's a Benefit to Sitting in the Middle

Andrea Romano

Spirit Airlines is really tackling that “America’s Least Favorite Airline” reputation head-on, starting with its seats.

The budget carrier has been implementing a new offerings to passengers such as Wi-Fi on board and international routes, and now it’s planning to actually make your cheap ticket all the more attractive with more comfortable seats.

According to USA Today, the airline announced on Monday that it will be adding comfier seats to its flights beginning in November and will continue to outfit planes through 2020.

These new seats feature more legroom, thicker seat cushions, contoured design, full-size tray tables, and a pre-recline that is about an inch further in regular seats, even more in exit rows. But perhaps one of the most exciting new features is the new middle seat, which will be a full inch wider than the window and aisle seats.

So, people in the middle seat no longer have to feel like they’re getting a raw deal.

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“The running joke in the traveling space is that nobody wants the middle seat,” Spirit Airlines chief executive Ted Christie said at the Airline Passenger Experience Expo, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In addition, the airline’s “Big Front Seats” will be bigger and better than ever, according to USA Today. The already bigger seats, which are available for a fee, will apparently have better memory foam cushions.

Courtesy of Spirit Airlines
Courtesy of Spirit Airlines

The new seats will be available on 60 new planes that will be delivered by 2021, and may be retrofitted to some existing planes as well, the Los Angeles Times reported. According to USA Today, not all planes in Spirit’s fleet will have the new seats. Still, the airline seems dedicated to fixing its old image.

“We are listening, that’s the message,” Christie said. “We want to show them that we are interested in investing in our products in ways that they think would create value.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the airline will still be the same a-la-carte, budget carrier it’s always been, of course, but with a bit more lumbar support.