Just in time for this season's holiday travel rush, USA Today reports that several major airlines have revealed a new class of seat that's far worse than anything you've ever experienced while sitting in coach. No, really.
Its unofficially being dubbed "last class" and it refers to an area of the plane where passengers' seats are totally unassigned and super close together, for optimum discomfort and awkwardness. Yes, tickets are cheap in last class, but they can't be exchanged or refunded.
So why do these cheap "fourth class" seats — which come with absolutely zero standard comforts — even exist? So that airlines like Delta and American can compete with increasingly popular budget-friendly airlines like Frontier and Spirit, which offer cheap tickets and minimal customer service.
American Airlines officially announced that they'll be selling the "no frills" tickets in 2016. Meanwhile, Delta's "basic" tickets went on sale this year and allow no changes, refunds, upgrades, or advance seat reservations.
Airlines can use whatever creative terminology they want. If the price is right, there's sure to be a market for these seats. But after this, it might be hard for the major airlines to find new ways to downgrade the experience of flying even further — though we're confident that somehow, they'll find a way.
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