Southwest shows off new seats, says they have more cushion — not less

29.05.2024 - 01:49 / thepointsguy.com

Southwest Airlines is showing off the newest seats planned for its fleet — and doubling down on dispelling earlier outcry that they're too thin.

Appearing alongside seat manufacturer Recaro, the Dallas-based carrier unveiled the new seats Tuesday at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany.

The carrier says the new seats, adorned in navy blue and sporting a signature Southwest heart logo on each headrest, are a distinct improvement over what customers currently find on its Boeing 737s.

Planned for new aircraft deliveries starting in 2025, the seats sport some distinct upgrades over Southwest's existing ones, to be sure.

Recaro customized both the headrest and armrest specifically for Southwest, offering a longer armrest and a headrest that the passenger can fold out for neck support — or slide up or down for comfort.

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On the back of the seats, you'll find both USB-A and USB-C charging ports, along with a sizable personal device holder and a tray table featuring two cupholders.

"Ten percent of the world is left-handed," offered Bill Tierney, Southwest's vice president of customer experience and digital experience, at Tuesday's unveiling.

"Every part of the design is meant so you don't have to put too much effort into moving around, keep your neck comfortable, and you can be productive with your devices," Tierney continued, noting the seats sit at the intersection of comfort and functionality.

In fact, this seat reveal is just one step in a larger cabin refresh Southwest is planning for its new aircraft, which will see jets come off the line with a variety of aesthetic upgrades over its current aircraft, TPG reported in February when the carrier first announced the changes.

But seat design renderings Southwest shared at the time weren't without backlash — namely, concerns about how thin they looked in the mock-ups; it helped reignite the decadeslong conversation about legroom, seat pitch and width on commercial aircraft.

Ultimately, those design renderings weren't exactly an accurate depiction of the seat itself, said Christopher Parker, Southwest's managing director for inflight experience and voice of customer, speaking to TPG on Tuesday.

"There were a lot of things in the news when it was released about it being a 'slimline seat.' This is not a slimline seat," Parker said, noting the company went through exhaustive testing with staff members and customers — who concluded, he said, that the seats were the most comfortable among those the carrier considered.

"When we went through the process of adding the actual seat cushion, we actually added more cushion," he said. "None of this was intended to make a thinner