Frontier Airlines Debuts First Aircraft with Lightweight Seats
Joe Cortez March 24, 2021
With the goal of reducing their carbon footprint, Frontier Airlines is rolling out their first Airbus A320neo with a seat 33 percent lighter than traditional options. The seat will serve two purposes: reduce fuel burn for the airline, while passing along savings from a lower gas bill.
Frontier Airlines is vying for the title of “America’s Greenest Airline” with the launch of their latest Airbus A320neo aircraft. In a press release, the ultra-low-cost carrier announced the first flight featuring their new slimline seats, which are reportedly 30 percent lighter than traditional airline seats.
Slimline Recaro Seat Designed with Fuel Savings in Mind
The seats, designed by aerospace interiors company Recaro, are designed with a slimmer profile and lighter materials. Executives say the seats are no less comfortable than traditional options, and feature redesigned armrests and a larger tray table.
Image courtesy: Frontier Airlines
“This new aircraft, which is the 105th in our fleet, represents a significant milestone in Frontier’s commitment to being America’s Greenest Airline,” Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines, said in a press release. “We are in continuous pursuit of leading-edge strategies to reduce our environmental footprint and, at the same time, reduce fuel costs, which enables us to pass savings on to consumers in the form of lower fares.”
Image courtesy: Frontier Airlines
With the lighter seats installed, the company estimates they will reduce their fuel burn by 31,863 gallons per aircraft, per year. Based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the savings is roughly equivalent to removing 642 million plastic bottles from the environment.
The Airbus A320neo celebrated its inaugural flight from Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. The airline will continue to install the new seats on all 155 Airbus aircraft on order, with full implementation across the fleet by 2027.
Airlines Continue to Get Serious About Green Operations
If Frontier plans to be “America’s Greenest Airline,” they may have to compete with JetBlue for that title. In 2020, the New York-based carrier announced they became carbon neutral based on their domestic operations.
Feature image courtesy: Frontier Airlines
"no less comfortable than traditional options"...................... Yeah, right.....
Talking about a fuel savings of about 30k gallons per aircraft, per year. That's maybe about a $180,000 year savings if you're talking about an average price of $6/gal of JetA. How much of that will be passed on to the passengers as lower prices? I'm guessing 0.
I'll be sure to bring my own seat cushion on flights with this airline!
I think I was on this 320Neo this past Saturday morning from MIA to MCO. I didn't even notice seat comfort but it was only a half hour flight. Seriously folks, I paid $28 for my ticket while American wanted $99. You get what you pay for and on Frontier, you get crazy cheap fares.
I made the mistake of flying Frontier from Ontario, California to Philly on a redeye. Fortunately, I changed planes in Denver. My butt cheeks were sore and would not be able to fly 5 hours on one of these. Bring a hemorrhoid cushion and two Ambien for these new and improved seats.