End to LEGROOM WAR: British Airways axes reclining seats on 35 planes
BRITISH Airways is to remove reclining seats from some economy flights.
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It will no longer fit reclining chairs in some planes, following the lead of budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair, it was revealed yesterday.
Rows over leaning back during a flight have previously escalated into fist fights between passengers.
The seats will be fitted on 35 of the new fleet of Airbus A320neos and A321neos planes which will come into service at the end of the year.
BA claims it will only use these planes on shorter journeys of up to four hours.
But it has already angered customers after it stopped offering free food and drinks on short-haul flights in January last year.
Instead, the carrier partnered with Marks & Spencer to unveil a new onboard range that can set customers back £4.95 for a sandwich.
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It is also “reviewing” whether duty-free products such as perfumes will be available to buy during flights.
The row over reclining seats reached a head in 2014 when a device called the Knee Defender allowed passengers to stop others from leaning back.
The product can be fitted to the tray table on the seat in front leaving it unable to be pushed back.
A fight was sparked on a United Airlines flight in August 2014 after an unidentified man used one to stop a female passenger reclining her seat.
He refused to remove the device, claiming that any incursion into his space would stop him working on his laptop.
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The irate woman, who was also not named, threw a glass of water in his face during the argument which almost escalated into a physical fight.
Later the plane was diverted and both passengers were kicked off the flight. Another fight was sparked on a US flight the same year when a woman passenger reclined her seat.
The woman seated behind reportedly began swearing and shouting and demanded that the plane land.
Her pleas were ignored but she was later removed from the flight when it made a scheduled stop.
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A witness said: “She said something to the effect of, ‘I don’t care about the consequences, put this plane down now’.”
BA’s decision has led to some passengers complaining it is becoming more like a budget airline.
But the company has defended the loss of reclining seats – which can help passengers snatch some sleep – as part of a cost-cutting strategy.
A BA spokesman said its changes “will allow us to offer more low fares to our customers”.
