Because while I can't or won't pay the huge extra amount for business class, I definitely would choose a ticket that was somewhat (100,150 bucks) more expensive if I knew it meant legroom and comfort. I can't believe I'm the only one.
You have a lot of choices when it comes to legroom.
All three of the largest US airlines (AA, DL, & UA) offer economy seats with extra legroom. Those seats are free for fliers with status in their loyalty programs (i.e. their customers who fly regularly). Other passengers can book the extra legroom seats for a fee which varies based on the length of flight and desirability of the particular seat. That fee is usually at, or under, about $100 for domestic flights--sometimes a lot less. United offers an annual subscription to their Economy Plus seating starting at $499--depending on the region you fly in and the number of traveling companions who you can "upgrade" with you--which can be a good option for those who fly with some regularity but not enough to earn the seats for free with status.
On United's domestic airplanes, roughly 25%-40%, depending on the airplane, of the economy seats have extra legroom. Go to the United.com site and pull up the seatmap of some flights that depart in the next day or two. You will see that what typically happens is that the regular economy seats fill up first. Usually there are quite a few E+ seats available when all of the regular E seats are assigned. This shows that most of the travelers are not willing to pay extra for the extra legroom. They'd rather save the money.
The airlines specify price but not pitch, for the seats they offer.
The information is easily available.
www.SeatGuru.com is a good place to research airline seating and there are others. Also, the airlines that sell increased legroom seats will have that information on the booking screens to encourage the upsell.
Southwest is different. Lots more seats but not the really tight pitch of airlines like Spirit. As a comparison, Southwest puts 143 seats in their B737-700. United puts 126 seats in the same B737-700 with the extra room going to first class and Economy Plus seats. Spirit doesn't operate the B737 but the somewhat larger A320 has 178 seats with pitch of 28" compared to Southwest's 31". Spirit offers four seats, on that airplane, with increased pitch and width. United's pitch on the B737-700 is 31" in regular economy and 36" in E+.
If legroom is important to you, there are options and the information for making an informed decision is readily available.
With flights often being completely full these days, if airlines were to add more legroom--or extend the existing extra legroom throughout the economy cabin--who are we going to kick off the airplane when we remove seats to create that extra legroom? Who doesn't get to fly?
right - so - is tht a weather delay? Or a delay for the convenience of the airline?
It's a weather delay.
An airport has a set acceptance rate which comes from ATC. As conditions change, weather, winds, runway construction, etc., ATC adjusts that acceptance rate. An airport might go from a rate of 60 arrivals per hour in good weather to only 40 arrivals per hour in MVFR to 30 arrivals in low IFR. ATC communicates the reductions to the airlines and the airlines decides what it will do.
So, you're the airline and have to cut 50% of your schedule at your hub due to weather. Do you cut mostly 150-180 seat airplanes or 50-70 seat airplanes? Which choice is best for your passengers? Is making choices that inconvenience the fewest number of your customers really "for the convenience of the airline"?
