RYANAIR has launched new ‘game-changing’ seats with extra legroom – but they still won’t have back seat pockets, for one very specific reason.
The new 'Ergonomic Slimline Seats' will be installed on Ryanair’s new fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 200, due to be delivered next year.
The airline says they will give passengers 31 inches of legroom, one inch more than the current design.
They will also be lighter and will enable Ryanair aircraft to fit 197 seats on board compared to the current 189.
This means fares will be lower for customers, according to the Irish airline.
But as with Ryanair’s current seats, there won’t be any back seat pockets accompanying the new design.
Ryanair hasn’t used back pockets on its seats for over 13 years. The airline says this allows for a quicker turnaround time by reducing the amount of items to be cleaned and checked.
A spokesperson said: “Ryanair’s current fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft have a seat pitch of 30 inches – more legroom than British Airways and Lufthansa economy seats.
The new seats will enable Ryanair aircraft to fit 197 seats compared to the current 189 (Picture: Getty Images/Ryanair)“All Boeing 737 Max ‘Gamechanger’ aircraft, delivered from Spring 2019 onwards, will have the new Zodiac seats announced on Wednesday, with a roomier 31 inch seat pitch, and due to the new sculpted seat back, also provide additional knee and shin room at the same pitch.
“Since 2004, Ryanair seats have not included seat back pockets, allowing us to maintain our industry-leading 25 minute turnaround, and reduce cleaning costs – which are passed on to customers through lower fares.
“Adding seat pockets to our seats is not something we are asked for by our customers.”
Ryanair added that they also considered removing armrests when it reduced the size of its in-flight magazine back in 2012, but “decided against it”.
Five of the 10 new planes featuring the updated seats will be delivered in the first half of 2019, while the rest will be ready by the first half of 2020.
The increase in the size of Ryanair’s fleet is tipped to grow annual passenger numbers to 200 million by 2024.
Ryanair said the increase in profits will be passed onto passengers through reduced fares.
