Frontier Airlines has revealed a new seat for its upcoming Airbus A320neo family of aircraft. The new seats, which are from Recaro, will start arriving on Frontier’s new aircraft from Marcy 2021 and onwards. All Airbus aircraft on order will feature these seats.
Frontier reveals new seats
Frontier Airlines has revealed that it is putting a new, lighter seat on its aircraft. The new seats from Recaro offer a 30% weight reduction compared to Frontier’s existing seats. Frontier advertises that new seats will offer extra comfort and larger tray tables while also helping Frontier save on fuel.
All upcoming 156 Airbus aircraft on order will receive the new seats. The first of these aircraft will start arriving in March of 2021. Indigo Partners, which owns several airlines, including Frontier, made a deal with Recaro Aircraft Seating that included the new seats onboard these aircraft.
Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines, stated the following in a press release viewed by Simple Flying:
“Frontier Airlines is committed to maintaining our position as America’s Greenest Airline and our current fleet is 43 percent more fuel efficient on average than other U.S. airlines. The lighter weight Recaro seats will result in tens of thousands of gallons of fuel savings on a single aircraft while improving comfort. Less fuel means reduced operating costs which translates to savings that we can pass on to consumers in the form of low fares.”
Lower fuel costs are good for the airline, as it means it can keep its costs down and offer lower fares, which is part of the airline’s model.
More details on the new seats
Recaro’s seats will offer extra comfort, redesigned armrests, and a larger tray table so passengers can use their laptops, reading materials, and other personal devices with ease. The seats are Recaro SL3701 seats.
Recaro advertises the seats as being efficient and the manufacturer’s highest economy class seats. The seats themselves are known as “slimline” seats. Compared to its predecessor, the manufacturer states that the new seat is less fragile than its previous generation, which should give the seats plenty of room to last.
They will be on the Airbus A321XLRs
Frontier Airlines’ order covers approximately 32,600 seats. The seats will begin to roll out with the delivery of an A320neo in March and be fully implemented by mid-2027.
This means that these are the seats that will be on the carrier’s Airbus A321XLRs. Frontier Airlines has 18 of the type on order, with the first one expected in 2024.
While the Airbus A321XLR will not be flying transatlantic missions, the planes will have the capability to fly transcontinental routes, fly to Hawaii, and operate to parts of Latin America.
Slimline seats are not uncommon on low-cost carrier aircraft. However, they are not necessarily comfortable for some longer rides. With less padding, passengers should end up getting some more usable legroom, but it probably will not be a plush ride to wherever you are flying. However, a larger tray table for handling devices should do passengers some good to distract from the seats.
What do you think about Frontier’s new seats? Let us know in the comments!