Airplanes Just Got Even More Crowded With New 11-Seat-Across Setup

Airplanes Just Got Even More Crowded With New 11-Seat-Across Setup

If you thought airplane space was already limited, wait till you see this.

Last week, Airbus unveiled a new plan for its A380 jet that involves a mind-blowing 11 seats in each row of the economy cabin.

That means some "middle seat" passengers will be sitting two seats deep on either side. In other words, you'll have to climb over not one, but TWO other people on your way to the lavatory.

And based on the passenger scuffles that have already gone down due to limited personal space, this whole seating change might not end well.

Here's the @Airbus 11-abreast A380 cabin mock up. 3-5-3 config. Yup, it's coming. #PaxEx pic.twitter.com/yeZ0dvYDNI

— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) April 14, 2015

The new setup adds one more seat to each row of the A380's current configuration. Instead of four seats in the plane's middle section, the new A380s will have five.

This is made possible by raising the outer seats upward slightly, which will squash window-seat passengers just a little too close to the wall of the cabin, in the opinion of some frequent flyers.

The problem with the 3-5-3 A380 layout, as demonstrated by @AirlineFlyer. #paxex #AIX15 pic.twitter.com/iXkvbKpGM2

— John Walton (@thatjohn) April 14, 2015

The plane is an updated version of the A380s that airlines like Qantas, Emirates and British Airways currently fly on international routes. Airlines will be able to purchase the new jets in 2017 if they choose, NBC News reports.

The new planes boost passenger capacity from 525 to 544, which many see as a money-making scheme at the cost of passenger comfort. But while things may look cramped, it's worth noting that personal space isn't exactly shrinking, at least in terms of seat width.

The new Airbus seats will have the same 18-inch width as its current economy cabins. That's more than the 17.8 inches in JetBlue's seats.

Hey, when air travel is this squashed, you've gotta look for the bright side.

H/T Quartz

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