Not long ago, we wrote about why more hotels are no longer offering dressers in guest rooms. You may have noticed the basic reason is similar to why fewer hotels leave Bibles in their rooms anymore.
Hotels aren’t the only ones in the travel industry making changes—airlines are, too. If you’ve been flying for a while, you’ve probably noticed plenty of them:
- Little to no food
- Higher prices
- Smaller seats
- Paying for things that used to be free, like checked bags, seat selection, or even carry-ons
And more recently, you may have noticed that fewer planes offer reclining seats.
Of course, if you’re in business or first class, you can likely still recline—or even lie flat. But that may not be the case for the rest of us. Here’s why:
It makes the plane lighter
We’ve covered the surprisingly extreme ways airlines try to reduce weight. Less weight means less fuel burned—which means lower costs and a smaller environmental impact.
The mechanisms that allow a seat to recline add weight. In 2023, the Association of Flight Attendants reported that modern seats weigh just 15 to 22 pounds once the recline mechanism is removed.
It reduces maintenance
Anytime something moves, it can break—whether from wear and tear or passenger abuse. And every repair costs the airline time and money.
It keeps the peace
This is the one passengers probably notice most. If seats don’t recline, there’s nothing to argue about—avoiding situations like this guy experienced.
Pre-reclined seats are becoming more common
Aircraft designers are constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency. Newer seat designs include fixed, slightly angled backrests that are ergonomically shaped to maintain some comfort.
These “pre-reclined” seats are most common on short-haul, low-cost carriers, but they’re starting to show up elsewhere.
For now, non-reclining seats are mostly found on low-cost and ultra-low-cost airlines. But other carriers are experimenting with them too—British Airways, for example, introduced non-reclining economy seats on some aircraft back in 2019.
So the next time you fly in economy, don’t be surprised if your seat doesn’t recline.
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