German airline Lufthansa plans to pack passengers tighter together so that it can save costs by carrying more people per jet, a spokeswoman confirmed on 17 November in Frankfurt. Seat pitch - the row interval, measured from any part of a seat to the identical part of the seat behind - is currently 79 to 81 centimeters on Lufthansa planes.
The Lufthansa spokeswoman, Amelie Schwierholz, said the airline planned to replace its seats next year and shift them closer, but she predicted the new seats, using new materials, would be more comfortable. They will have thinner backs. Schwierholz said Lufthansa was also looking at scrapping galleys on short-haul jets and coat cupboards to create seating space. A decline in passenger revenues has prompted Lufthansa to look for ways to save money. The spokeswoman said snacks and meals on Lufthansa jets would continue to be part of the ticket price. Seat pitch is a frequent subject of complaint on world airlines, with large passengers on the most crowded jets complaining the next seat-back is too close to their face and there is not enough legroom.
Skytrax, a company that offers an online guide to seat pitch, indicates economy-class spacing varies from a generous 86 centimeters on lines such as
Air China to a tight 74 centimeters on European budget airline Easy Jet.