Travelers might notice a spiffy new look the next time they board an Alaska Airlines plane. The Seattle-based carrier has been refreshing its Boeing 737-800 fleet, and it’s now unveiling the first look at the new interiors and first-class seats.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Christopher Dela Rosa, Alaska’s cabin product director, shared a sneak peek inside the first Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800—tail number N558AS—to receive the updated interior. Alaska took the aircraft on a quick test flight in early August to evaluate the renovated products.
The new cabins have Recaro R5 seats in first class and Recaro R2 seats in premium and economy classes. All seats will have high-powered USB-C power ports, while the first-class seats also have new legrests and seatback device holders.
The refresh also adds four more seats to the first class cabin, increasing the number of spots in the front of the plane from 12 to 16 seats. “The completion of this modification was not only a huge milestone for this project, but a huge step forward for our Alaska Accelerate strategy to meet the growing demand for premium seats,” Dela Rosa wrote in the post. That increase in demand for premium products follows a larger trend sweeping the airline industry in recent months, in which premium cabins have been a significant revenue driver for carriers.
In addition to the new seats, the refreshed cabins also got new carpets, bulkheads, and cabin dividers. By next summer, all of the airline’s 59 Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be flying with the upgraded cabin.
The carrier also has plans for a major update to its widebody fleet, too, as it launches a new era of long-haul travel from its hub in Seattle. Next year, Alaska Airlines will refresh Hawaiian Airlines’ Airbus A330 fleet, including “investments in seating, cabin interiors and onboard products and amenities,” according to Alaska. The A330 jets are currently being used on new long-haul routes like Alaska’s just-launched service from Seattle to Tokyo Narita.
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