Airline Cabin Options: Who Gives the Most?

JetBlue Airways

The airline offers one class of service, and all of its seats are leather.

The airline does not have a formal policy regarding customers who need extra seating. A spokesman said crew members would handle situations on a case-by-case basis.

JetBlue only offers Wi-Fi on one plane currently (the service is free for passengers), but it does provide free satellite radio and 36 channels of television at every seat. On flights to the Caribbean and Latin America, where DirecTV service is not available, the airline offers a selection of free premium movies, spokeswoman Alison Croyle said. It charges for pillows and blankets. A set costs $7.

Southwest Airlines

All of the discount carrier's seats are leather.

The airline doesn't charge for seat selection or for specific seats onboard. Some seats in the front and back of its planes are slightly narrower because of the shape of the fuselage, spokeswoman Beth Harbin said. The airline encourages passengers who can't fit in one seat to buy a second seat when they book their travel. The airline will refund the money for the second seat if the flight doesn't oversell.

The carrier is testing Wi-Fi on some aircraft.

United Airlines

The airline has started to upgrade some of its seats in its coach cabins to leather, spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said.

If one of its customers doesn't fit in a seat with an extended seatbelt, can't put the armrests down or infringes on a neighboring seat, United will move the passenger to another seat that is next to an empty one at no charge. If there are no empty seats on the flight or subsequent flights, the passenger may be asked to buy a second seat to guarantee one is available.

United doesn't have Wi-Fi available on any of its aircraft, a spokeswoman said. It plans to have the service available on 13 aircraft in the second half of this year.

US Airways

The airline has replaced seat cushions and covers on some aircraft with leather, and it is in the process of doing the same on most other planes, spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said.

The airline says it tries to accommodate customers who need an extra seat at no charge, though depending on seat availability they may have to purchase a second seat if they can't fit comfortably in one, Mohr said.
US Airways currently does not offer Wi-Fi.