Wow, these guys did it again. And quickly. Not only are they charging you to put a carry on bag in the overhead compartment, they are now adding non-reclining seats to new planes! That’s right.. they are purposefully installing what they lamely call “pre-reclined” seats, which means there isn’t an option for passengers to pay for reclining seats.

The airlines claim is that the decision was made since the new “pre-reclined” (i.e., not reclinable – come on, let’s call it what it is) offer greater fuel economy due to a lower weight, and maintenance costs are less with stationary seats.

Spirit’s A-320 aircraft have 178 seats, with most having a 28-inch pitch, the shortest in the industry. In contrast, it was reported that most low-cost carriers feature an average pitch of 29 to 30 inches, so they can fit additional seats in the plane and charge less. So, imagine, they can now (1) reduce your reclining (2) fit more seats (3) charge same price (4) make more money and (5) make your trip less comfortable.

And, as 1 blogger posted on the web elsewhere, “If they reduce the pitch, doesn’t that mean that the room for your legs and feet is also compromised? If so — then how can they expect you to put your “Small – no additional charge carryon” under the seat in front of you if they reduce that space to nothing?” Because remember, they now charge you to put something in the overhead.