Chicago, Illinois, July 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) today introduced a new domestic first class seat that includes a wireless charging station in every arm rest. The new United First® seat – which also features vegan leather upholstery, 13-inch seat back screens and 18-inch tray tables, Bluetooth connectivity, privacy screens and an ergonomist-designed cushion – debuts on its first 737 this month, and customers will continue to see it rollout this summer. The airline expects the new seat to be on 200 domestic planes by 2026, including 737 NG’s, A321neo’s and 737 MAX’s.
Passengers can quickly charge their multiple electronic devices at once with three types of charging docks in each seat – wireless, AC household-style outlet and USB-C. The wireless charger is located in a compartment of the armrest to give the passenger line-of-sight to notifications and free their hands and tray table.
A growing number of customers prefer a two-screen experience where they use a personal device and a seatback screen simultaneously, so United is upleveling the experience. The 13-inch, high-definition screens are Bluetooth capable and include a remote for those unable to reach the touch screen.
Designated space for devices, food, drinks and more make it easier for passengers to enjoy the full experience. A larger, 18 x 8.5 inch tray table features a built-in tablet holder and enough space for most standard laptops. With authentic Italian quartzite cocktail tables and bottle holders between each seat, passengers don’t have to balance gadgets, drinks and snacks on one tray table.
In the large seats upholstered with vegan leather, passengers will experience more privacy with a 11 x 19-inch divider between neighbors, winged headrests and tray tables that deploy from outer armrests to reduce passenger contact. The seat features a 5-inch recline range, adjustable aisle arm rest that lowers completely and an ergonomist-designed seat cushion that sits 1-inch lower to accommodate a wider variety of heights
In addition to installing the new seats, United will update existing domestic first class seats on more than 200 planes by 2025. United First seats on select 737, A319 and A320 aircraft will be redesigned with new seat cushions, vegan leather upholstery and winged headrests.
The announcement marks United’s first update to domestic first class seat design since 2015. The new United First seat was built with a team of experts, including United’s engineering and inflight teams, University of Michigan biomechanics researcher Dr. Matthew Reed and design firm Priestman Goode.
Aston Martin (ARGGY) just can’t help but outdo itself. From its entry in Le Mans, to building James Bond cars that actually work, to Aston Martin-themed motorcycles, and even embracing the manual gearbox after everyone else abandoned it—it seems that the British luxury marque is always looking to do the unexpected.
For its next trick, Aston Martin announced a team-up with airplane and helicopter maker Airbus to unveil the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition, a stylish helicopter embellished with four different interior and exterior designs provided by Aston Martin.
Exterior options include Stirling Green, Xenon Grey, Ultramarine Black, and a color simply dubbed Arizona. For the cabin, buyers get to choose between Oxford Tan, Cormorant, Ivory, and Pure Black. Matching leather and Pure Black ultra-suede makes up the rest of the interior. Aston Martin badging is embossed on the leather headrests to further distinguish this special edition for the standard ACH130.
Second and Final Phase of Airbus A320 Interior Cabin Restyling Ushers in New Era of Comfort and Connectivity for JetBlue Customers.
The Most Legroom in Coach® Now Features the Widest, Most Comfortable A320 Seats, Larger Seatback TVs with Even More Entertainment, Expanded Gate-to-Gate High-Speed Internet on Nearly Every JetBlue Route—and More!
The restyling effort has been several years in the making, with the latest aircraft marking the first to receive this all-new 2019 design. The aircraft, named “If You Can Read This, You’re Blue Close,” re-joins JetBlue’s fleet today, with roughly a third of JetBlue’s A320 aircraft scheduled for restyling completion by the end of the year.
“JetBlue rocked the airline industry in 2000 with seatback television and all leather seats. In our first makeover since, this incredible new onboard experience represents what the founders would have done if they were launching JetBlue today,” said Marty St. George, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, JetBlue. “The new experience brings together technology, entertainment, and comfort with the great service JetBlue customers love so much.”
For most of the airlines 100+ destinations the A320 restyling will bring the upgraded JetBlue experience to their city for the first time.
A major focus of the restyling is keeping customers connected throughout their flight, including a new inflight entertainment system, high-definition seatback televisions, in-seat power outlets with USB ports and continued free gate-to-gate Fly-Fi high-speed internet with an expanded coverage area – including throughout the Caribbean and Latin America where Fly-Fi had not been available until now.
The Widest Seat Available For the A320
In 2019, JetBlue will outfit its A320 aircraft with the Collins Meridian seat, customized for the airline’s needs and featuring a number of design elements with customer comfort in mind:
Expanded seat width of more than 18 inches, the widest available for the A320.
The most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (a).
Enhanced cushion comfort.
Adjustable headrests, a new feature for JetBlue’s A320.
Contoured seatback design at knee level creating additional living space for every customer.
Redesigned seatback stowage options, including an innovative elastic grid to accommodate a variety of customer items.
At least two easy-to-reach power connections at every seat.
“We are proud to partner with
JetBlue on its A320 restyling project by supplying our Meridian Seat,” said
Cynthia A. Muklevicz, Vice President, Account Management, Interiors for Collins
Aerospace. “Meridian offers passengers industry-leading comfort and living
space through an intense focus on ergonomic design supported by optimization of
the underlying seat structure.”
IFE
Also in 2019, JetBlue will build on
its reputation as an industry leader in inflight entertainment options with
Thales AVANT and ViaSat-2 connectivity. With this system, JetBlue will offer
customers aboard its restyled A320s expanded entertainment choices in nearly
every region the airline flies (b). JetBlue is the only major U.S. airline with
seatback entertainment screens at every seat on every aircraft.
10.1 inch, 1080P high definition screen at every seat.
More than 100 channels of live television with DVR-like pause and rewind functionality.
Expanded collection of on demand movies, TV shows and video content, plus new gaming features.
Destination-specific content allowing customers to enhance their travel experience.
Picture-in-picture function
Enhanced, 3D flight map offering multiple ways to track time to destination.
Personal handheld device pairing capabilities for use as a remote or gaming controller.
Expanded Fly-Fi connectivity, providing coverage to nearly the entire JetBlue network.
“Thales is proud to have been a
business partner with JetBlue since the beginning of their IFE evolution. The
airline has reimagined the flying experience, and with our custom-designed
AVANT IFE solution, we’ve helped JetBlue reimagine their customer experience on
the A320 platform,” said Philippe Carette, Chief Executive Officer, Thales
InFlyt Experience. “We look forward to collaborating with the airline to create
new opportunities that wow their customers with a unique and personalized
inflight experience.”
“Thales is proud to have been a
business partner with JetBlue since the beginning of their IFE evolution. The
airline has reimagined the flying experience, and with our custom-designed
AVANT IFE solution, we’ve helped JetBlue reimagine their customer experience on
the A320 platform,” said Philippe Carette, Chief Executive Officer, Thales
InFlyt Experience. “We look forward to collaborating with the airline to create
new opportunities that wow their customers with a unique and personalized
inflight experience.”
“JetBlue continues to be an
industry leader in its approach to inflight internet—bringing free, high-speed
connectivity to every customer onboard,” said Don Buchman, vice president and
general manager, Commercial Aviation, Viasat. “We’re honored to once again
partner with JetBlue on inflight connectivity, giving them access to ViaSat-2,
the world’s most advanced satellite network, enabling all JetBlue customers to
enjoy fast Fly-Fi service on more routes where JetBlue flies.”
Completing The 2018 Phase
The first phase of JetBlue’s A320
interior cabin restyle began in spring 2018 and modernized the airline’s so-called
“classic interiors” with products that matched those found on the airline’s
newer A321 aircraft – features such as more modern seats and larger seatback
TVs. More than a dozen A320 aircraft have been restyled with these products so
far and several more are scheduled for completion in the coming weeks. This
spring the restyling will fully transition to the 2019 version of onboard
products for all aircraft going forward.
About JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 42 million customers a year to 100+ cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of more than 1,000 daily flights. For more information please visit jetblue.com.
(a) JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines.
(b) Fly-Fi is available on all JetBlue-operated flights. On ViaSat-2 equipped aircraft, Fly-Fi may not be available on portions of some routes. On all other aircraft Fly-Fi may not be available while operating outside of the contiguous U.S., or until the aircraft returns to the coverage area.
