With the rollout of Frontiers new Airbus A320neo today, the Recaro SL3710 makes its debut in North America.
Recaro SL3710 for Frontier Airlines – Image, Recaro.
Frontier is slated to receive 156 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft over the next six years, which will be equipped with 186 and 240 SL3710 seats, respectively.
Recaro played its part – starting in July 2020 to ramp up the customization and certification process to ensure the first seats would begin delivery in February 2021.
The SL3710 is a lightweight seat – coming in at 8kg per seat. Lightweight seats can help airlines reduce the cost of flying the seat around. The seat features an ergonomic design, combined with durable materials to delivered comfort. It also features revamped armrests, tray tables and adaptable backrest for passengers to enjoy some comfort in.
Recaro SL3710 for Frontier Airlines – Image, Recaro
The components of the SL3710 seat requires 50% less maintenance for airlines, reducing the costs of operating the seat in the long term. In addition, the lightweight materials and seat coverings created with recycled leather further reduce fuel consumption costs.
How does it fair?
I tried out the SL3710 a couple of years ago when it launched at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2019. This was tested at a 29″ seat pitch.
Recaro SL3710 demonstration units – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
In the tested configuration, there is a tray table and a cup holder. The seat was set at 29″ pitch, 18.3″ width – which should fit quite nicely in an Airbus narrow-body aircraft.
With tray deployed – Recaro SL3710 demonstration units – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Legroom at 29″ – Recaro SL3710 demonstration units – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
I found the comfort to be reasonable, compared to some slimline seats I’ve seen out in the field. It won’t win the battle of the deeply padded seats, however, on short-haul segments – those days could well be behind us.
In Quotes
Dr. Mark Hiller, CEO and Shareholder at Recaro Aircraft Seating said
“Efficiency was a tremendous driving force behind customizing the seat and resulted in a 30% weight reduction for each seat,”
“This is a testament to what can happen if we work together towards sustainable goals, and I look forward to partnering with Frontier Airlines on other similar efforts in the future.”
Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines said
“This new aircraft, the first to feature the new Recaro seats, represents a significant milestone for our company,”
“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. We thank our partners at Recaro for working with us to achieve this innovative design.”
Expect to see more the SL3710 in the air
The SL3710 seems to be gaining popularity, with it now available on all major platforms. It also has been launched on regional jets too, with it appear on KLM CityHopper recently.
With Recaro receiving a large order from Frontier’s owners – Indigo Partners – you’ll see these in the air in the future with 100,000 seats being delivered to Frontier, Wizz Air, Volaris, JetSmart and enerjet.
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