Frontier Airways has formally picked a first-class seat for its planes.
The Denver-based ultra-low-cost provider introduced April 8 that it is partnering with Italian seat producer Geven on its first-ever premium seats.
The brand new, spacious recliners are set to start becoming a member of the airline’s fleet in the course of the ultimate months of 2025.
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As soon as put in, the brand new seats will mark a serious new period for the finances airline — lengthy recognized for its no-frills, all-coach cabins.
Final December, Frontier joined a rising pattern of low-cost carriers revealing plans to launch premium seats, hoping to lure passengers who frequent its bigger rivals — one thing the airline believes it is going to be capable of do with the assistance of its new spacious seats, Gilles Bussutil, Frontier’s vp of inflight expertise, mentioned Tuesday.
“The objective was to design a seat that blends distinctive consolation, luxurious and house, and making it out there at Frontier’s trademark low costs,” Bussutil mentioned whereas talking at Plane Interiors Expo, a serious business gathering in Hamburg, Germany.
Frontier’s new first-class seat
Frontier opted for Geven’s premium product nicknamed “Comoda” for its new first-class seats. The airline plans to put in them in a two-by-two configuration masking the entrance two rows of all its planes.
An uncustomized, off-the-shelf model of the seats sat on show simply steps from the occasion’s information convention, sporting all the additional house, storage and luxury you’d count on in a typical home first-class seat.
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In accordance with Geven, these seats provide a width of slightly below 21 inches, which is much better than the 16- to 17-inch-wide coach seats at present on Frontier’s planes.
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Know, although, that Frontier’s model of those first-class seats will look rather a lot totally different.
Renderings Geven shared confirmed the darkish black seats with pops of inexperienced — together with Frontier’s signature brand on the headrest.
Modifications will transcend easy aesthetics, with the airline at present in deep talks about the way it plans to customise the product.
We must always level out that these renderings didn’t present seats sporting the leg rests or privateness wings surrounding the headrest Geven makes out there on this product — as proven beneath.
Frontier remains to be deciding on whether or not to incorporate these options and others, Bussutil mentioned.
“We’re nonetheless finalizing all of the trim and finishes of the seat, so, extra designs can be offered a bit of bit in a while,” he added.
Additionally nonetheless in dialogue: What sort of service the airline will provide round its new premium seats.
Traditionally, any meals, drinks or different extras have price extra on Frontier — even in its UpFront Plus seats that includes a assured empty center seat that debuted in 2024.
“There’s nonetheless dialogue on what that service will appear to be for our clients,” Bussutil mentioned of its first-class choices. “Be careful for information.”
Planning an ‘aggressive’ rollout
But, even with some large selections nonetheless to be made on its first-class product, Frontier remains to be plotting an “aggressive” retrofit timeline that ought to see a considerable portion of its fleet up to date with the brand new seats in the course of the dwelling stretch of this yr, Bussutil mentioned.
Final yr, Frontier CEO Barry Biffle instructed TPG he believed the provider may full all of its retrofits inside two months.
Frontier’s fleet spans 160 jets, and the airline has orders for 180 extra plane over the approaching years. All new jets, together with its present planes, will get the brand new seats.
It is secure to say the airline is raring to get them put in. After the provider introduced the brand new first-class product final December — and revealed plans to supply complimentary upgrades for Frontier Miles elite standing members — functions for the airline’s cobranded bank card spiked dramatically, Biffle revealed at a convention in February.
The airline is hoping to additional entice vacationers to affix its loyalty program with a brand new companion go for high-level elite standing members set to launch later this yr. It additionally just lately took direct purpose at Southwest Airways by trialing free checked baggage this spring after the Dallas-based provider ended its long-standing customer-friendly bag coverage final month, sending shock waves by the business.
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‘Colorado and Napoli’ be part of forces
Frontier is the primary U.S. airline to accomplice with Geven for first-class seats. The producer is headquartered in Nola, Italy, east of Naples, leading to a becoming a member of of forces that introduced collectively “two corporations from reverse sides of the world,” Alberto Veneruso, the seat maker’s managing director, mentioned Tuesday.
“One from Colorado, and one from Napoli,” he added.
Among the many much less seen elements that drew Frontier to Geven’s first-class product is its light-weight design, Bussutil mentioned. Lighter seats assist with gas effectivity, saving cash and serving to to restrict an airline’s carbon footprint.
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