--- description: Airbus unveiled a new 11 seats per row configuration for its A380 superjumbo jet. title: These Tiny Seats Could Mean Air Travel Is About to Get Much Worse image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Aviation](/tag/aviation/) ## Aviation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Tiny Seats Could Mean Air Travel Is About to Get Much Worse  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2015 4:08 PM CUT  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2015 4:08 PM CUT The controversial [Knee Defender](http://time.com/3182118/knee-defender-airline-fight-united/ "undefined") blocks a passenger in front of you from reclining, but what do you do when your _shoulders_ are getting squeezed on an airplane? That’s the big question as airplane manufacturers continue to shrink seats to let airlines stuff more passengers into economy sections. The latest maker to apply this cost-cutting measure is Airbus, which [unveiled](http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/aircraft-interiors-expo-2015-airbus-focusing-on-choice-for-airlines-and-passengers-with-the-latest-cabin-innovations/ "undefined") a new 11 seat-per-row reconfiguration for its A380 superjumbo jet this week in Hamburg, Germany. The Airbus A380 currently seats 10 passengers per row in economy (3-4-3), but the new configuration bumps the middle section up by one (3-5-3): > [](https://twitter.com/AirlineFlyer/status/587874707875180544) The double-decker’s new seats, which will arrive in 2017, are technically still the same width as before — 18 in. (46 cm.) — thanks to Airbus freeing up space by slightly modifying the seats’ layout, [Quartz reports](http://qz.com/383342/the-terrible-claustrophobic-airplane-seat-redesign-that-could-soon-be-how-we-fly/ "undefined"). But there’s no doubt the seats will look and feel a bit tighter, if only because the plane’s capacity will be raised to 544, up from 525\. Even if you have relatively narrow shoulders — the [average human shoulder width](http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~loebinfo/loebinfo/Proportions/humanfigure.html "undefined") is about 16 in. (41 cm.) — you can’t always count on your neighbors to be similarly sized. Here’s what you might be feeling aboard your next flight with the A380’s main users, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and Qantas: > [](https://twitter.com/thatjohn/status/587893148447309824) **Read more:** [This Airline Just Made Your Butt Happy](http://time.com/money/3822761/southwest-airlines-new-seats-widest/?iid=time%5Fspeed "undefined") The tight A380 seats are part of an industry trend that’s crept into long-haul planes from short-haul planes, where passengers tend to be more willing to endure a few hours of discomfort to save money. Other long-haul jets to shrink seats include the Boeing 777 — commonly flown by United and American Airlines — whose new models are being shipped with 17 in. seat widths. _Read next:_ [_3 Reasons You Should Be Planning a Trip to Europe Right Now_](http://time.com/money/3774340/europe-summer-travel-cheap/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ### PHOTOS: Beautiful Long Exposures of Airplanes at Night  College Point Blvd., College Point, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  36th Ave., Flushing, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Hermon MacNeil Park, College Point, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, Queens, N.Y., June 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Flushing, N.Y., July 2014. Kevin Kunstadt  Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach, N.Y., July 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME  Spray View Ave., Far Rockaway, N.Y., July 2014. Kevin Kunstadt for TIME [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3822785/airbus-a380-seats/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3822785/airbus-a380-seats/"},"headline":"These Tiny Seats Could Mean Air Travel Is About to Get Much Worse","datePublished":"2015-04-15T16:08:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:04:33.482Z","description":"Airlines are shrinking seat widths to squeeze in more passengers","url":"https://time.com/3822785/airbus-a380-seats/","keywords":["Aviation","Transportation"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/aviation/","name":"Aviation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3822785/airbus-a380-seats/","name":"These Tiny Seats Could Mean Air Travel Is About to Get Much Worse"}}]}] ```