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Southwest: New Seats to Improve Fuel Efficiency

Seats to be installed on 737-800 and 737MAX aircraft beginning mid-2016

Dallas, Texas: As the operator of the largest Boeing 737 fleet in the world, Southwest will lead the industry as the launch customer for the next generation in aircraft seating. “The new aircraft seats are the widest economy seats available in the single-aisle 737 market, and offer a unique design that gives our Customers what they asked for: more space,” said Bob Jordan, Southwest’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.  The carrier, in partnership with Boeing, will be the first to roll out the new seats, beginning mid-2016, on new deliveries of its Boeing 737-800. B/E Aerospace, who designed and engineered the seats, unveiled the new product earlier this year at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany.

The newly-designed seats, which will be seen on new 737-800s beginning mid-2016 join other significant brand milestones, including cabin interior updates on Southwest’s 737-700s which will begin later this year, and continued 737-800 deliveries in the new Heart livery. The industry-leading seats are wider than current seats, and include an adjustable headrest and increased legroom, as well as more personal stowage, while decreasing the overall weight of the product. “The new, lighter seat allows us to continue to improve our fuel efficiency,” said Mike Van de Ven, Southwest’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “This seat selection is just one more reason we are enthusiastic about our fleet modernization plans.”

The Company’s ongoing fleet modernization effort also includes the transition of AirTran’s Boeing 717-200 aircraft out of the fleet, the replacement of Boeing Classic aircraft with Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft, and the projected launch of the 737 MAX aircraft in 2017.

When it enters service, the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will offer improved fuel efficiency, along with significantly reduced emission levels, and will provide the lowest operating costs among single-aisle aircraft. The seats are the first element of the 737 MAX aircraft interior to be released by Boeing and Southwest to the public. The Southwest seat color—a variant of Southwest’s Bold Blue—has been chosen, and the seats will be upholstered with eLeather, a composition leather made of natural leather fibers. eLeather, which made its debut on Southwest aircraft in 2012, is manufactured using eco-friendly technology including state-of-the-art techniques which closed-loop recycles 95 percent of the processed water, and converts its own waste streams into energy feeding back into the process.

Southwest is America’s largest low-fare carrier with more than 100 million passengers a year. The airline operates more than 3,600 flights a day, serving 94 destinations across the United States and six additional countries.

Source: Southwest Airlines