Legroom-Loving Ryanair Buys 100 Brand New Boeings

The new planes allow for 30 inches of legroom — more than current Ryanair seats offer — but alas, you won't be able to enjoy the stretching space until 2019, when the planes arrive.

Ireland is on a plane-buying spree. The Irish airline Ryanair and signed a deal with Boeing for 100 planes at the cost of $11 billion, including the fuel efficient 737 Boeing MAX 200 (it cuts fuel costs 18 percent.) The deal also includes an option to buy 100 more planes if need be, which would double the price to $22 billion.

Each plane fits 200 seats, so, essentially Ryanair just bought 20,000 new airline seats to sell. This is right in line with their goal of expanding to 150 million passengers by 2024 (they are currently at about half that.) Ryanair chief executive officer Michael O'Leary told Yahoo News, "It's going to change the game for low-fare air travel. It's also going to change the game in Europe. I hope it will hasten a new era of price wars in Europe over the next 10 years."

O'Leary hinted towards reclinegate, saying that the new planes allow for 30 inches of legroom — more than current Ryanair seats offer — but alas, you won't be able to enjoy the stretching space until 2019, when the planes are set to arrive.