American Airlines is decreasing legroom in economy class

Airline Quality Rating uses mishandled baggage, consumer complaint, on-time performance and involuntary denied boarding data to formulate annual ratings for airlines. AQR found that the industry improved overall in 2016 over the previous year. >>Click through the photos to see airlines ranked by overall score less Airline Quality Rating uses mishandled baggage, consumer complaint, on-time performance and involuntary denied boarding data to formulate annual ratings for airlines. AQR found that the industry improved overall ... more Photo: FStop Images - Stephan Zirwes/Getty Images Photo: FStop Images - Stephan Zirwes/Getty Images Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close American Airlines is decreasing legroom in economy class 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Two inches might not sound like much, but when it comes to legroom on an airplane, the measurements add up.

To make room for more seats on its new Boeing 737 Max jetliners, American Airlines will reduce the space between some seats in economy class by 2 inches, CNN reports.

In three rows, the front to back space between seats will be reduced from 31 to 29 inches, while the rest of the economy cabin will be reduced to 30 inches.

For comparison, the seats on budget airlines Frontier and Spirit are spaced, at minimum, 28-inches apart, while the economy seats on Jetblue, Southwest and Alaska Airlines are placed 31 to 33 inches apart, according to a Cheap Flights analysis.

The decrease in space will allow for the addition of 10 seats to the single-aisle aircraft, for a total of 170 seats. Flyers with less legroom will pay the same price for seats as fellow economy passengers on the aircraft, which will take to the skies later this year.

Related video: American Airlines apologizes after stroller incident

A source also told CNN that the bathrooms on 737 jetliners will be smaller.

American Airlines has acted as industry trendsetter in the past, having been the first airline to introduce baggage fees in 2008, and CNN suggests that other airlines may follow its lead when it comes to designing planes with less legroom.

Tuesday's revelations emerges on the same day that United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz testified before the House Transportation Committee. Munoz apologized for the April 9 incident in which passenger David Dao was forcibly dragged from a flight.

See also: Lawmakers to airlines: Improve service or Congress steps in

"It was a mistake of epic proportions, clearly, in hindsight," Munoz said during the 4 1/2-hour hearing.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., told Munoz and other airlines to "seize this opportunity" to improve air travel.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.



