Leisure carrier Monarch has put an end to ‘reclining wars’ by installing fixed-back Pitch PF2000 seats across its fleet. As well as preventing inter-passenger tension, the airline chose the seats as they will reduce weight as well as increasing legroom within the same seat pitch. The seatback design also includes a tablet holder for the technology savvy holidaymaker, fitted following customer research.
Tim Williamson, Monarch’s director of customer experience and marketing commented, “Our new ergonomic seats have been designed with our customers’ needs in the forefront of our minds. The new non-reclining design gives our customers far more “living space” than traditional seats, without the fear of the person in front impinging on their personal space.
“We noted from customer feedback that seat storage is particularly important. The new seats offer more flexibility than traditional ‘pockets’; using the concept of the bungee cord the storage area can now comfortably fit water bottles, jackets and even kids’ toys. The innovative tablet holder also enables our customers to create their own personal in-flight entertainment system.”
The weight saving in the new design achieves significant savings on fuel and emissions. For instance, when compared with a set of Monarch’s existing seats, a set of new seats on a flight from the UK to Egypt saves 255kg of fuel, which is equivalent to 816kg of carbon dioxide saved on a single flight.
