FlyerTalk Forums - Oasis: New seats & less pitch, WiFi IFE & power all 737 and A321 2019-21

Project Oasis: All Two Class A321 (LUS, LAA) and 737-800 To Receive A319 B/F seats in F and new Rockwell Collins Meridian slimline Main Cabin Seats w/ Higher Density 2019 through 2021

Quote:

As of May (2019) American had reconfigured 71 of their 304 Boeing 737-800s with these Oasis cabins. However, at that point the airline revealed that they were suspending their retrofit program until (summer) 2020. But “The airline has re-started retrofits, and President Robert Isom says that the “upgrading” (sic) of their Boeing 737-800 fleet will be completed by the summer of 2021.”

At that time retrofits supposedly will extend greater leg room and under seat space, as well as USB power and seatback tablet holders, increased aisle width forward and greater privacy aft in the First Class cabins. These changes will be extended to the 71 737 aircraft already refitted. (No changes are to be made to the Main Cabin / MCE areas.) - link to Lucky’s story on OMAT.

This remediation has begun (January 2020) under the name of “Project Kodiak”, discussed in this thread.

There has been no announcement about the A321 refits.

We have added dedicated threads as Oasis is being rolled out, the 7M8 returning to the fleet, and the A321 Oasis densification and dense A321neo arriving early 2019.

The dedicated threads are

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...-loss-etc.html Densified A321

and

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...-loss-etc.html Densified 738

NEW CONFIGURATION

The Business / First Cabin uses the Rockwell Collins MiQ seat currently used in long haul Premium Economy with some modifications with seat pitch reduced to 37” / 94 cm, and seat recline reduced from 6” / 15 cm to 4” / 10 cm.

Main Cabin Extra uses the Rockwell Collins ultra-slimline “Meridian” seat with 33” / 84 cm pitch, with a 4" / 10 cm. Width is 17” / 43 cm. Armrests are about 30% narrower than previous Economy seats.

Main Cabin “Meridian” seat pitch is 30” / 76 cm, with a 2" / 5 cm limited recline.”

Rockwell Collins claims Meridian is wider by designing a seat trio that hugs the fuselage wall more than previous seats and by filling the gap between seats. Armrests are about 30% narrower than previous Economy seats.

Lavatory: New slimmer B/E Aerospace (now Rockwell Collins ultra slim “Spacewall“ lavatories will also be installed.

WiFi, IFE and Power: Satellite based WiFi (fee); IFE served frim onboard server to your AA app on your own device via WiFi; 110 VAC Universal plug and 5 VDC 1.1 amp USB port.

AIRCRAFT

Quote:

The schedule calls for the airline to renovate legacy US Airways A321s starting in 2019, followed by legacy American Airlines A321s. American said it does not plan to install seatback screens, echoing a decision made in January of this year not plan to install seatback in-flight entertainment screens on the 100 Boeing 737 Max (8) jets it ordered." Link to Frequent Business Traveler article by Paul Riegler on 28 Sept 2017

737 MAX 8: “out of the box” with 30” MC / 33” MCE Meridian seats, new F cabin with 37” pitch, MCE 37” and MC with 30” pitch, and slimmer Spacewall lavatories. Satellite WiFi (fee), WiFi IFE served to your device and the AA app (free)

737-800: The first refitted aircraft of 304 738 airframes, N979AN, re-entered Service 13 May 2018. See illustrations courtesy of The Points Guy in post no. 8.

A321: No conversions apparently until 2019.

Announced Thursday 29 Sep 2017: Rockwell Collins’ (recently B/E Aerospace) Rockwell Interior Systems' Meridian slimline seat with at-seat power will be installed on all AA Airbus A321 (LUS, LAA) except the three class A321T) and all Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The company claims the lighter and smaller frame Meridian seat offers "20% more living space" and that apparent pitch to a passenger will be one inch over actual measured pitch (e.g. "30" pitch will feel like 31" pitch". (Southwest claims the Meridian offers 0.7" greater width and is the widest available 737 3x3 coach seat; actual width seems the same, change is intrastate gap now filled.) "Longer flight comfort is enhanced with B/E’s patented Crystal Flex™ bottom diaphragm technology – an industry-leading feature for maximized comfort on B/E’s seating products. Meridian’s full headrest tops off the seat’s comfort features." - Rockwell Collins referring UA 737 MAX 9 version.)

Other airlines selecting the B/Rockwell Collins Meridian seat for narrowbody Economy seats include Southwest (737 MAX 8) and United (737 MAX 9). WN will retain the same number of seats and 32” seat pitch.

USA Airlines' Economy Seat Pitch

34" - JetBlue A320
32" - JetBlue A321, E190; Southwest 737-800 and 737 MAX 8; Virgin America (fleetwide)
31" - Alaska 737-800; Southwest 737-700
30" - American, Delta? (WSJ), United (most narrowbody aircraft)
29" - Frontier, Spirit (fleetwide)

*B/E Aerospace of Wellington, FL was acquired by Rockwell Collins of Cedar Rapids, IA as a wholly owned subsidiary. Rockwell Collins has agreed to be bought by United Technologies of Farmington, CT.

Wikipedia: In August 2017, Reuters reported that United Technologies of Farmington, Connecticut submitted a bid to acquire Rockwell Collins, which on the day of the report had a market capitalization of $19.3 billion[14] The acquisition was formally announced on September 4, 2017. The transaction is projected to close by the third quarter of 2018.[15]

Link to Airline Reporter review of Southwest Meridian seats with excellent illustrations

Link to Bloomberg article on airlines’ “densifucation” of the Economy cabin

Link to Wall Street Journal on US airline Economy seats (including Meridian) (PDF)