Get ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight—with premium seats from a German manufacturer, redesigned cabin interiors and conveniences, new airline employee uniforms, and even new ways to prop up your mobile phone or tablet.
That’s if you’re planning to fly Dallas-based Southwest Airlines in early 2025.
The low-cost carrier has partnered with Netherlands-based Tangerine, a leading design company specializing in transportation, to create an updated cabin interior for new aircraft deliveries beginning next year. The new look and feel is based on “extensive research” covering both customer and employee “perceptions of color, comfort, and their aspirations for the overall onboard experience.”
Tony Roach, SVP and chief customer officer at Southwest, said in a statement that the redesigned cabin interior “significantly enhances our inflight customer experience and will complement the amazing service that our crews provide.”
New seats feature multi-adjustable headrests
Southwest Airline’s new RECARO seats feature multi-adjustable headrests. [Video still: Southwest]
The new seats from Germany-based RECARO include a multi-adjustable headrest cushion for enhanced head and neck support. The “intuitively designed seat for ultimate comfort” aims to maximize seat width and overall support, Southwest said.
The modernizations continue on the back of the seat, with each one offering a personal electronic device holder. This goal: enabling passengers to enjoy Southwest’s free in-flight entertainment on their devices more easily.
“RECARO is proud to collaborate on expanding our footprint in the Americas, especially when working with a local partner like Southwest who began their story at the same time as us,” RECARO CEO Mark Hiller said in a statement. “Our new seat will be a great addition to the Southwest customer experience, as its durable design and comfort features will serve passengers well.”
Southwest Airlines new RECARO seats offer tablet- and phone-friendly seatbacks. [Photo: Southwest Airlines]
Southwest branding is literally threaded into the new look
The airline said its new cabin interiors will feature a “calm blue palette” with deep blue tones, sky blue accents, and “a nod to the Southwest Heart” woven throughout the carpet.
The Southwest Heart will be threaded throughout the interior and debossed on the seat headrests, alongside a sunray pattern on the seats.
New employee uniforms ‘underway’
A “uniform inspiration team” of 75 Southwest employees is working alongside the airline’s current apparel vendor, Design Collective by Cintas, and uniform brand consultant and fashion stylist Bonnie Markel to develop the new uniforms. These are being designed for Southwest employees who work in and around airports, including in-flight operations, ground operations, cargo, and technical operations.
Southwest Airline’s new RECARO seats are part of a new calm blue palette design. [Video still: Southwest]
New look follows announcement of $2B in customer experience upgrades
Southwest’s planned new cabin look and feel, and the new employee uniforms, are part of the fruit of a $2 billion investment in customer experience upgrades the airine announced in 2022.
Other updates that have recently been made include, per Southwest:
• Enhanced Wi-Fi: Upgrades of WiFi equipment fleetwide completed at the end of 2023 to offer an enhanced inflight internet browsing experience, with more bandwidth and faster data
• Onboard power ports and larger overhead bins: All new 737 MAX 8 aircraft delivered to Southwest are outfitted with onboard USB A and USB C power ports and larger overhead bins. Additionally, these features will be added to existing MAX 8 and 737-800 aircraft, a process that is anticipated to be completed over the next several years.
• New functionality for Southwest’s digital platforms and airport kiosks: These include free same-day standby, digital bag tracking, and online baggage check-in, allowing passengers the option to self-serve on common requests.
You can see a “fly-through” look at the new interior in this Southwest Youtube video.
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
A coming-of-age tale about life, love, and loss, the short film was produced on location at Mescal Movie Set in Benson, Arizona. It tells the story of a young woman searching for her place in life when she suddenly encounters a surprise visitor. Here's how it got made—and how you can watch it.
-
NASA's first X-plane could reduce fuel consumption and emissions up to 30% compared to today's domestic fleet of airplanes, Boeing said. The design could be used by planes of different sizes and missions and may benefit from folding wing tips to accommodate existing airport infrastructure.
-
If you gaze out of Southwest Airline's newest art-themed aircraft at the landscape gliding by below, some trolls will be taking in the same view—from right beneath your window. In a partnership with DreamWorks Animation, a Boeing 737 was festooned with fun characters from the upcoming movie "Trolls Band Together." See a pretty cool, time-lapse video of the makeover here.
-
Dallas-Fort Worth will have one of the best views on earth of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. But if you want to see the eclipse in an even more memorable way, Southwest has some flights that will be traveling right along the "path of totality."
-
When kids in North Texas dream of being an airplane pilot, it's usually all in their head. But this summer, they can go beyond their imaginations and learn some of the STEM concepts that go into flight—thanks to the new exhibition "Measurement Rules" at the American Airlines CR Smith Museum, located at the southern end of DFW Airport.
