Reclining seats are one of the most controversial airline amenities. For some, it's a necessity for getting comfortable on long flights. But for others, it's a source of broken laptops, spilled drinks, and mid-flight arguments.
No matter which camp you fall into, it's no secret that personal space in economy has slowly, but surely, eroded over the years. And as airlines release new seat designs, some travelers fear they may be stuck sitting upright in the near future.
When Southwest Airlines recently debuted its new cabins rolling out on planes in 2025, travelers were quick to take to social media complaining about the seemingly thin design. The airline has since confirmed that the new RECARO seats will have the same legroom, seat width, and recline capabilities as its current seating options. However, the internet backlash Southwest initially faced underscores just how protective fliers are over their legroom—what's left of it, that is.
While Southwest passengers can rest easy (for now), the recliner still risks an extinction in economy class as airlines increasingly opt for lighter seats, William McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, tells Condé Nast Traveler.
“This trend has been occurring for several years now, and I think it will continue,” says McGee. “Lighter seats are what the airlines want, because with the cost of jet fuel they are always looking to reduce weight onboard.”
Seats that don’t recline have fewer mechanisms inside and therefore weigh less, lightening the load on board each plane and helping reduce fuel costs considerably. “Recliners also require more maintenance, so that is an added cost as well,” McGee says. No-recline models have been flying for years on low-cost carriers like Spirit and Allegiant, who refer to the stationary seats as “pre-reclined,” as they’re molded at a slightly deeper angle than regular seats in the upright position.
The trend then jumped to mainstream carriers in 2018 when British Airways added “pre-reclined” seats to economy cabins to its fleet of Airbus A320neos. Around this same time, major US airlines like Delta, United, American, and Southwest, began trimming economy seat recline to an average of just two inches instead of a roomier four inches that used to be standard.
“The simple fact is that US airlines have been degrading their economy class products for many years now, slowly and gradually, but permanently as well,” McGee says. “Think about it: as recently as the early 2000s, an economy ticket bought you a much more comfortable seat that reclined and offered several inches more legroom pitch and width.” Economy fliers would also get free checked bags, a snack or hot meal, free drinks, and no seat selection fees.
“Consumers have been losing much more than seat recline in economy class,” McGee says. “It's just that in this case, losing the ability to recline can be a blessing in disguise for others, because tighter seats have made reclining unfair to fellow passengers.”
A trigger for in-flight incidents
Indeed, as seats have gotten tighter, the amount of unruly passenger incidents centered around leaned back seats have soared. “There is no question that [reclining seats] are potential triggers for unruly behavior for a variety of reasons,” says Philip Baum, visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University and the chair of DISPAX World 2024, an international conference on how to handle unruly plane passengers. Those reasons include instances like a passenger finally falling asleep only to be bumped by the person behind them or a passenger who reclines and the person behind them complains, among others, according to Baum.
As such, eliminating seats that recline can actually make the flight experience smoother. “There's no question this can be good news for air travelers,” McGee says. “The airlines have pitted passenger against passenger in the ‘right to recline’ wars and it's led to discomfort, fist fights, arrests, and overall misery. When reclining inconveniences and disturbs the passengers behind, then it's problematic.”
Carriers are starting to recognize the problem and offer solutions for passengers’ recline frustrations—if they’re willing to pay for an upgrade, that is. A growing number of airlines are introducing fixed-shell backs in their premium economy cabins, eliminating the dispute for the upgraded customers while also allowing a deep recline. Carriers such as Japan Airlines and Lufthansa recently added the fixed-shell feature to their newest premium economy seats. Premium economy also offers a deeper recline—often up to seven or eight inches.
Although pushing your seat back can be controversial, some believe it should still be available to fliers. “Personally, I think we should allow passengers to recline their seats but let people know that they may be asked—better still, required—to have their seats in an upright position during meal service,” Baum says.
But McGee says passengers should expect to see reclining seats disappear in economy class in the near future. “Will some passengers miss recliners in economy class? Undoubtedly,” he says. “But many more will be grateful they don't encounter a broken laptop or hot coffee spilled on them when the passenger in front decides to slide back.”