Q&A with the Seat Expert

American Airlines quietly removed their “More Room Throughout Coach” (MRTC) product from their entire fleet in the 2005 time frame. Their current seat pitch is a very (unfortunate) common 31 inches in the coach cabin. The best seat pitch in a domestic carrier currently is United Airlines’ Economy Plus product, usually at about 34-36 inches pitch. This Economy Plus product is complimentary to United’s MileagePlus Elite members, as well as to those passengers who purchase access on an annual or per flight basis. JetBlue Airways also has seats with up to about 38 inches pitch if you pay a premium on top of the standard ticket. With the exception of exit and bulk-head rows, other carrier’s so called “preferred” seats offer no additional room comparing to other standard rows.