Southwest Airlines said new seats on reconfigured Boeing 737-800
aircraft will be the widest 737 economy seats in the industry.
The blue seat with adjustable headrest is upholstered in eLeather, a product made from recycled leather fibers. Southwest says the seat has "enhanced back and bottom comfort, and more room to hold personal belongings."
The airline plans to install the new seats on 28 jets by the end of the year.
The planes also will have redesigned galleys that will enable
flight attendants to work without carts, Southwest said. Flight attendants will
instead serve food and drinks via trays, allowing passengers to have greater
ease of movement in the aisles.
Southwest will update uniforms for the first time since 1996.
The aircraft upgrades are part of the Heart branding effort that
Southwest began in 2014 with the rollout of new liveries and a new logo. By
mid-June of next year, Southwest employees will have uniforms to match the Heart
brand.
Southwest’s nearly 40,000 front-line staff will wear the new
uniforms, which will be dappled with the deep blue and bright red that
emblazons the Heart livery. It will be the first update of Southwest uniforms
since 1996.