“Sardine Index” Comparison: Midwest and Southwest Rule, United and Delta Pack ‘em In

We posted a while back about seat pitch and how the major airlines fared. I decided to add a new component to the mix and cross reference those numbers to how full the majors’ planes are. It seems to me that the most comfortable flights are those with the most linear space (longest seat pitch) and lateral space (empty space beside). Checking the April flight load data (the most recent available) from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics led me to some interesting conclusions:

Airlines above average in both areas (more legroom, less crowded flights):
Midwest Airlines Inc.
Southwest Airlines Co.

Airlines below average in both areas (less legroom, more crowded flights)
America West Airlines Inc.
American Airlines Inc.
Continental Air Lines Inc.
Delta Air Lines Inc.
United Air Lines Inc.

See the excel screen shot below for the specific numbers: