Many different issues around the airplane seat are a constant source of passenger arguments and online debate.
Passengers who refuse to give up their seat for an insistent traveler with kids periodically go social media viral — and the size of the seats themselves are another common point of strife. Airlines periodically land in the hot seat for continuing to keep seats as small as possible (and thereby increase profits by fitting more people in) even as American travelers have grown larger over the decades.
Related: Plus-Size Traveler’s ‘Hack’ For Getting Two Plane Seats Is Going Viral
The latest viral moment occurred when Nuha of the @devodedly.yours TikTok account posted a video commenting on Southwest Airlines’ (LUV) new three-by-three airplane layout that the airline posted on its own Instagram (META) account a day earlier.
Southwest Airlines debuts their new interior and I’m not sure anybody is excited for their smaller and thinner seats #southwest #delta
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‘I’m not sure anyone is excited for their smaller and thinner seats…’
“This is before where seats are kind of thin, not a lot of cushion to really support your back but, no worries, hopefully they tack all that on after, wow,” the TikToker says sarcastically as the video spans out to row upon row of the new thinner seat.
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“Southwest Airlines debuts their new interior and I’m not sure anyone is excited for their smaller and thinner seats,” reads the caption to the video that was viewed nearly six million times and received 586,000 upvotes.
Southwest said the new design was based on “extensive research covering customer and employee perceptions of color, comfort and their aspirations for the overall onboard experience” and would be available on the new Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX-8 (BA) planes that the airline ordered for 2025.
But the commenters immediately picked up on the TikToker’s displeasure and called out the airline especially as it is known for having one of the best “customer of size” policies in the country. Any larger customer who purchases a second seat in order to make travel more comfortable will get it refunded as long as there is extra room on the flight.
Customers weigh in: ‘Ozempic seats’ and ‘an option just to stand’
“Is there an option to just stand?” reads one of the most upvoted comments underneath the TikTok video.
“Ozempic seats,” reads another comment underneath the Southwest video announcing the new seats while another called the new layout “the office desk chair.”
But as some of the other commenters pointed out, the size of the “cushion” is not always indicative of how comfortable the seat will be and was specifically developed by a company that specializes in seats for motor racing and gaming. The chairs are designed to have “head and back support” (something that many of the commenters were particularly worried about.
“Maybe these ppl are unaware,” reads a comment by @AwwPunkinnn. “Some ERGONOMIC Chairs are built just like this & are INCREDIBLY comfortable & expensive.”
The average airline seat in economy has, over the years, remained steady at 17 inches wide and, according to a recent calculation by news platform Upgraded Points, has 30.5 inches in legroom. JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is the outlier with an average 32.3 inches while budget carriers Spirit Airlines (SAVE) and Frontier (FRON) trailed behind with 28 inches.
