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Norwegian Air Launch Slimline Seats

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Norwegian Max airplane flying to Norway

The Norwegian airline is to introduce slimline seats, which will be narrower but offer extra legroom, on its intercontinental flights.

Flying long-haul with Norwegian Air could soon get a lot more comfortable, or not, depending on your body shape.

The airline claims the seating on its new Boeing 737 MAX aeroplanes will provide extra comfort for all fliers on longer routes, but not everyone is convinced.

Norwegian slimline plane seats

The new cabin features 189 slimmer leather seats which measure 17.2″ wide, compared to an industry standard minimum of 18” according to industry figures. They do, however, offer extra legroom.

An economic decision

The new seats each weigh about 10kg, which is 1kg less than previous models. This should reduce the overall weight of an aircraft by around 200kg, which will lower fuel costs.

“More than 370,000 customers have flown Norwegian between the UK and Ireland and the US east coast and now thousands more passengers can fly in slimmer seats that provide more space for the longer flights”, says Norwegian's Thomas Ramdahl.

Norwegian Air

“The Boeing 737 MAX’s versatility can provide passengers with lower fares on direct transatlantic routes and shorter flights as we plan to replace older aircraft as we maintain a young, modern and fuel-efficient fleet.”

A divisive move

Despite the positive spin from the company, Fabio Passalacqua, director of flight comparison site Jetcost, told iNews that the new seating will “divide customers”, even though he believes it is a good move overall.

The train station inside Oslo Airport

“On the one hand it’s brilliant news for the taller passengers and those that often struggle with the lack of legroom: this new design means that they will no longer have to reserve a seat, often at extra cost, to ensure their comfort during the flight, thus saving them money and increasing their enjoyment of the flight at the same time,” he says.

“However, customers who find airplane seats are already too narrow (the new seats are as much as 2 inches narrower than most American airlines), will find their comfort will be reduced, even more so as there will no longer be seat cushions.”

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About David Nikel

Originally from the UK, David now lives in Trondheim and was the original founder of Life in Norway back in 2011. He now works as a professional writer on all things Scandinavia.

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1 thought on “Norwegian Air Launch Slimline Seats”

  1. Legroom has always been a premium. But so has width. As a frequent traveler I get tired of having to pay for business or first class. I am not overweight.. but at 6’6″ and 265. Normal seats are far too small, and have gotten smaller every year for decades. Passengers will pay a little more to be comfortable. Take a hint from the history books. Midwest Express was one the most beloved carriers before it was bought out and turned into just another airline. If more airlines were like ME ridership would be up, cost would be down, and customer satisfaction up. A tall guy will not rent a compact car to drive cross country, but they will a full size. The little amount of fee increase is acceptable.
    No one is one size fits all. You cannot discriminate against half your passengers.

    Reply

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