With the arrival of new seats, traveling on Spirit's newest version of its yellow Airbus aircraft may soon be a little more comfortable.
The airline based in Miramar, Florida, debuted the newest in-flight amenity for its newest class of Airbus A320neo aircraft on Thursday.
The seating on this recently delivered aircraft will be Haeco's Vector Light and Vector Premium models, which should improve the passenger experience.
Here is a brief summary.
New "Big Front Seat"
One of the most affordable travel options is Spirit's Big Front Seat.
The pricing is typically closer to that of a typical extra-legroom economy seat on legacy carriers, although it is effectively the same as a domestic first-class recliner.
These seats are situated in the first few rows of the aircraft and are configured in a 2-2 arrangement.
The Big Front Seat of the future has a bigger seatback, greater padding, and nearly an inch more pre-recline.
Despite the fact that the tray table still extends from the armrest, Spirit claims it will be simpler to access.
What exactly that meant wasn't immediately obvious.
It's important to keep in mind that although though the Big Front Seats are substantially more comfortable than those in economy, they do not come with any extra advantages like complimentary food and beverages or power outlets.
New economics product
The addition of greater width to the regular economy seats is the highlight of the improvements.
Middle seats will be 18.5 inches wide, while aisle and window seats will be 17.5 inches broad.
It should hopefully be enough for some frequent Spirit flyers to detect a difference because this is a half-inch improvement over the current model.
Everyone dislikes flying in the middle seat, but Spirit at least makes it a little more bearable by adding that extra inch of breadth.
A new headrest style is also included to the economy offering.
Unfortunately, passengers still cannot adjust the headrest's height or position, nor are there any wings to provide additional neck support while nodding off.
It will be interesting to see if customers find the seats more comfy as Spirit claims that these new seats will have extra cushioning.
The airline is able to gain more space at the knee thanks to the new economy seats' curved seatbacks.
In comparison to flat-back seats, Spirit claims that this design provides an additional two inches of space around the knees.
Many parts of your onboard experience with Spirit won't change, even though you might enjoy a little bit more space and luxury.
On board, there aren't any USB ports or power outlets, and the seats can't recline.
They're all pre-reclined, in Spirit's words.
(It's important to note, though, that Spirit just finished a fleet-wide Wi-Fi deployment, making it easier to stay connected while flying with Spirit.)
In addition, every Spirit seat is slimline, which many passengers find to be unpleasant on lengthy flights.
In actuality, the new chairs weigh 11 ounces less than the outgoing design.
Reduced weight improves fuel efficiency, but typically results in less comfortable onboard conditions, especially on lengthy trips.
In conclusion
Beginning in late January 2023, Spirit will begin to install these components on brand-new aircraft deliveries.
In all, the airline intends to introduce 33 new A320neos, or "new engine options," in 2023, all of which will come with this new setup.
Eight Big Front Seats and 174 ordinary seats will make up the new arrangement, which will be similar to Spirit's current A320s.
JetBlue's A320s have 162 seats each (as a point of comparison).
Spirit won't be making any modifications to current aircraft at this time.
It's important to note that, assuming regulatory approval, the JetBlue acquisition won't be finalized until 2024, meaning that, for the time being, Spirit can continue operating as usual.
Nevertheless, the new seats seem to be an improvement above the airline's current offering overall.
The new item should ideally make traveling with Spirit a little more comfortable with a little extra space, revised headrests, and added seat padding.
The improvements to the Big Front Seat are what have me the most interested, and I can't wait to test them out once they begin to fly.
FACEBOOK