So some of you might have seen my post on Cebu Pacific’s new Airbus A330-900neo. Well, it seems it is Recaro Aircraft Seating who are provisioning the seats aboard
Recaro Aircraft Seating supplied the Sl3710 economy class seat. They will be supplying the rest of the fleet, with a total of 16 shipsets to be built and installed aboard Cebu Pacific’s A330neo through to 2025.
The Cebu Pacific A330neo has a very unique layout with a high-density seating arrangement, which enables Cebu Pacific to serve 459 economy class passengers each flight. Recaro collaborated closely with Cebu Pacific for this product launch.
In terms of passenger experience, the Recaro SL3710 provides through the slim design and pre-recline more space, more freedom of movement and thus more comfort. The seat follows the successful SL3510 and is equipped with a USB charging outlets for each passenger to accommodate the use of using personal electronic devices on board.
They have been delivered in a blue base layer with yellow and light blue accents.
In Quotes
Dr Mark Hiller, CEO and Shareholder at RECARO Aircraft Seating said:
“We are pleased to see our new SL3710 finally taking off on Cebu Pacific’s new A330neo aircraft,”
The ergonomically-designed seat not only enhances comfort but the lightweight structure also supports Cebu Pacific’s sustainability goals.”
Mark Cezar, Deputy Chief Finance Officer at Cebu Pacific Air said:
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Recaro to our new A330neo and have it subsequently rolled out on our new A320neo and A321neo aircraft”,
These Recaro seats enable us to ensure an overall positive inflight experience for our guests, while contributing to our position as the greenest airline in Asia.”
A different market
I can see a lot of you turning up your nose at the mere thought of 459 seats (Although French Bee squeezed 480 seats on an A350-1000) – but let’s consider the target market.
The market will be mainly be travelling workers, who will be focused on sending money back to families – it won’t be business travellers primarily. Cebu Pacific has operated this model very well so far with the existing A330 fleet and other aircraft – and the extra seats will no doubt be welcome on an aircraft to move people from A to B in cost-efficent manner.
For the purpose and missions this aircraft will be used for, where premium passengers aren’t the target market – it should serve the airline well.
As for the SL3710
I’ve tried the S3710 in person when the seat launched in 2019 (and tried it again in 2021). Whilst its pre-reclined, it was reasonably comfortable, with each seat coming in at 8kg per unit. Over a 459 seater, that’s going to save weight (thus fuel) on a A330-900neo.
It will depend on the missions – for 2-3 hour segment, the seat should be fine. For longer segements, it could be the first real challenge he seat has faced (With the airline serving Sydney, Melborne and Dubai as its “very” long haul segments.
It’ll be interesting to see how they hold up in the long-haul market .
Seat pictures – Reacro Aircraft Seating.
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If any of Cebu Pacific’s A330neo’s has to make a wheels up/crash landing/ditching in rough seas (and emergency evacuation is required), the cabin crew is going to have their hands full. They’ve got 90 seconds
(maximum) to get everybody out. There’s most likely going to be some foolish/inexperienced/uninformed or just plain don’t care individuals who are going to try to exit with all their carryons.
I wish Cebu Pacific all the best but there’s no f___ing way in hell you’re going to get me on any of these A330 ”crampliners”.