JetBlue ups the ante in economy legroom

JetBlue announced today that it has completed the reconfiguration of its Embraer E90 fleet, adding eight additional seats to their Even More Space inventory on those planes. These seats come with additional legroom for passengers and also the opportunity to board the plane before other customers. With the new layout the seats in rows 13 and 14 will have 39" pitch. This has the carrier offering the greatest economy pitch of any planes flying in the USA (excluding seats with no row in front).

The Even More Space product has been a strong seller for JetBlue. It is a major component of their ancillary revenue stream which averages more than $20 per passenger these days. The fee for Even More Space varies depending on the route and demand; recent samples have shown a range of $25-60 though a wider spread has been seen in the past. Passengers who purchase the Even More Space seats will also have access to expedited security lines ("Even More Speed") at airports where JetBlue has such service available. Currently there are more than 30 airports where this is offered.

The move is not wholly without a down-side, however. In order to add the approximately 20 inches of pitch to these rows other seats will see slight reductions in pitch. Even with these reductions the in-flight product on JetBlue E90s will remain one of the most spacious coach seating options in the United States. And the 39" pitch being offered now for eight of the seats will be equal to or better than most domestic first class offerings. No free drinks and no extra width, but generally also only a fraction of the price.