The new AS-standard interior has started showing up on the Boeing 737-700 fleet. This will eventually move to all the Airbus' and the 738/739 fleet.

I caught ship 619 the other week on a PDX-SEA jaunt in first class.

The new AS first class seat is terrific. Bravo AS. It's comfortable. Good padding. The headrest not only adjusts vertically it also has a tilt adjustment. The foot rest is a welcome ad, very similar to what NWA used on its 757 fleet. Tray table is easy to bring out and is good size. Just a really comfortable seat. Far better than Delta's new standard first class seat.

Not sure about the color scheme and the bulkhead but anything is better than the current fabric bulkhead that debuted in 1990.

I will say this, AS already has a problem with the quality of the forward bulkhead. The off-white is actually a fabric and a) it easily stains and dirt marks were already present on the edges and b) the fabric already had threads in it and c) bubbles where the fabric was coming unglued. I would expect a move to a wallpaper like backing at some point.

Because this was a daytime flight, I have no idea what the lighting looks like. I believe it is mood lighting.

The coach seats looked far more appealing than what AS uses on its 737's.

I have pictures but still can't figure out how to attach or insert them.

n7371f wrote:

The new AS-standard interior has started showing up on the Boeing 737-700 fleet. This will eventually move to all the Airbus' and the 738/739 fleet.

I caught ship 619 the other week on a PDX-SEA jaunt in first class.

The new AS first class seat is terrific. Bravo AS. It's comfortable. Good padding. The headrest not only adjusts vertically it also has a tilt adjustment. The foot rest is a welcome ad, very similar to what NWA used on its 757 fleet. Tray table is easy to bring out and is good size. Just a really comfortable seat. Far better than Delta's new standard first class seat.

Not sure about the color scheme and the bulkhead but anything is better than the current fabric bulkhead that debuted in 1990.

I will say this, AS already has a problem with the quality of the forward bulkhead. The off-white is actually a fabric and a) it easily stains and dirt marks were already present on the edges and b) the fabric already had threads in it and c) bubbles where the fabric was coming unglued. I would expect a move to a wallpaper like backing at some point.

Because this was a daytime flight, I have no idea what the lighting looks like. I believe it is mood lighting.

The coach seats looked far more appealing than what AS uses on its 737's.

I have pictures but still can't figure out how to attach or insert them.

What is Delta’s new standard first class seat? The c series has the MIQ which will be the first narrow Body in their fleet with those seats.

Light-colored fabric bulkhead cover? I get the color but not the material. Weird.

n7371f wrote:

I have pictures but still can't figure out how to attach or insert them.

If you have a Flickr account, upload them to yourself and right click on the image to copy the address. Paste the address in the pic button for a new post.

n7371f wrote:

Getting warmer. . Looking on the Flickr album, they do look nice.

I think the coach seat is the exact same as the previous model offered on the 737 fleet, the Recaro BL3530.

Looking at the 737 modification I can't say I really seeing any VX in it all all. Whilst its fresh and modern. Most certainly not VX though. It looks like all pre BSI won’t get mood lighting, but I assume it’s more a complicated fix to convert.

Would have been good if they did a V Aus and kept the Divider. Whilst Purple is out, Blue appears to be in, and would most certainly keep a little bit of VX life in it.

I would say keep the IFE system, but given how cheap people can be these days it's honestly quite disappointing. That being said, at least the interior looks a lot more modern now. They could have chosen a better seat with more padding in economy, but it's fine for short flights along the west coast. I would avoid this product on transcons and Hawaii flights, though.

FlightLevel360 wrote:

I would avoid this product on transcons and Hawaii flights, though.

Most definitely the biggest negative out of this merger, in that long haul most look to Virgin not AS.

Soon as I noticed AS subbing Airbus with 737s transcon I’ve only flown B6 since across.

A bit disappointing that we didn't get a Sky Interior-like panels-and-bins retrofit. I'll reserve judgment until I see how much the existing furnishings have been cleaned up and whether the lighting has been upgraded to LED. The 73Gs and 739As with the old bins/panels and fluorescent lights (always with non-matching tubes) are looking seriously bedraggled right now.

I believe the sidewalls were re-laminated but can't fully remember. Overheads were unchanged. And the rubber coverings over the galley and storage being loose and dangling are tacky. But that goes back to original Boeing cheap-ass design and then the contractor who overhauled the plane, like Triad in GSO.

seabosdca wrote:

A bit disappointing that we didn't get a Sky Interior-like panels-and-bins retrofit. I'll reserve judgment until I see how much the existing furnishings have been cleaned up and whether the lighting has been upgraded to LED. The 73Gs and 739As with the old bins/panels and fluorescent lights (always with non-matching tubes) are looking seriously bedraggled right now.

AirbusA322 wrote:

FlightLevel360 wrote:

I would avoid this product on transcons and Hawaii flights, though.

Most definitely the biggest negative out of this merger, in that long haul most look to Virgin not AS.

Soon as I noticed AS subbing Airbus with 737s transcon I’ve only flown B6 since across.

Even their premium transcon product cannot compare to the likes of B6 and the US3!

FlightLevel360 wrote:

AirbusA322 wrote:

FlightLevel360 wrote:

I would avoid this product on transcons and Hawaii flights, though.

Most definitely the biggest negative out of this merger, in that long haul most look to Virgin not AS.

Soon as I noticed AS subbing Airbus with 737s transcon I’ve only flown B6 since across.

Even their premium transcon product cannot compare to the likes of B6 and the US3!

I’m not sure what the exclamation mark is for - Alaska has decided not to do battle for the high-end transcon market. It’s not like they don’t know they don’t have a suite. Would I love it if they did? Sure, but their business model prescribed a different approach apparently. It’s not a bad product but it’s certainly not comparable to some of the other transcon products out there. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Oops - !

I’ll add that in the B6 mgmt thread there seems to be a disagreement over who JetBlue is, what they want to be, if they should go Mint everywhere or ULCC, Europe or no, etc. Running an airline is tough business, and while AS may get the short end of the stick in the transcon wars, they at least are trying to be true to their “value” identity, even if I wish they’d do things differently.

n7371f wrote:

The coach seats looked far more appealing than what AS uses on its 737's.

The coach seats are the RECARO BL3530 Economy Class seat.
These are the same seats as on AS 739's, UA and WS.

FlightLevel360 wrote:

AirbusA322 wrote:

FlightLevel360 wrote:

I would avoid this product on transcons and Hawaii flights, though.

Most definitely the biggest negative out of this merger, in that long haul most look to Virgin not AS.

Soon as I noticed AS subbing Airbus with 737s transcon I’ve only flown B6 since across.

Even their premium transcon product cannot compare to the likes of B6 and the US3!

B6 isn’t a player for those of us that have to travel a ton for a living. Poor network, poor FF program. Their premium product is nice but it’s cheaper than the US3 for a reason, if you choose it you give up the above. Mix in that even they aren’t sure what type of carrier they want to be...pass. I won’t actively search AS for a TC. But as an AA EP I’d take them before B6. YMMV. Cheers.

seabosdca wrote:

A bit disappointing that we didn't get a Sky Interior-like panels-and-bins retrofit. I'll reserve judgment until I see how much the existing furnishings have been cleaned up and whether the lighting has been upgraded to LED. The 73Gs and 739As with the old bins/panels and fluorescent lights (always with non-matching tubes) are looking seriously bedraggled right now.

For what it's worth, the 73G I rode last month has led fixtures and new bins.

Remember VX’s transcon product wasn’t competitive any longer either. A gratuitous amount of leg room, but still a recliner. As a frequent flier I better appreciate Alaska’s method of 12+ first class seats with complimentary upgrades. I don’t believe Elevate gave comp upgrades to anyone. I can’t believe their A321s still only had eight First seats. So they obviously didn’t consider First to be competitive either.

LAXBUR wrote:

I can’t believe their A321s still only had eight First seats. So they obviously didn’t consider First to be competitive either.

Exactly. The VX product was played. Bad network. Bad FF program. Flew them once and they were just meh...but to each their own.

asuflyer wrote:

n7371f wrote:

The coach seats looked far more appealing than what AS uses on its 737's.

The coach seats are the RECARO BL3530 Economy Class seat.
These are the same seats as on AS 739's, UA and WS.

AS 739's use RECARO BL3510 seats.

NameOmitted wrote:

For what it's worth, the 73G I rode last month has led fixtures and new bins.

LED lights, yes. Bins are not new. The psu's (passenger service units) that mount to the bottom of the bins are new, which may have given you the impression of a new bin.

asuflyer wrote:

n7371f wrote:

The coach seats looked far more appealing than what AS uses on its 737's.

The coach seats are the RECARO BL3530 Economy Class seat.
These are the same seats as on AS 739's, UA and WS.

Thanks for some objective info.

yeelep wrote:

NameOmitted wrote:

For what it's worth, the 73G I rode last month has led fixtures and new bins.

LED lights, yes. Bins are not new. The psu's (passenger service units) that mount to the bottom of the bins are new, which may have given you the impression of a new bin.

I stand corrected. Thank you. It was a late night after a very long day.

AirbusA322 wrote:

Looking at the 737 modification I can't say I really seeing any VX in it all all. Whilst its fresh and modern. Most certainly not VX though. It looks like all pre BSI won’t get mood lighting, but I assume it’s more a complicated fix to convert.

Would have been good if they did a V Aus and kept the Divider. Whilst Purple is out, Blue appears to be in, and would most certainly keep a little bit of VX life in it.

Kudos to AS for offering a standard domestic F product with more legroom while DL and AA have gone to 37” pitch.

However I’m not a fan of the trend towards using the floating, visual cabin divider. DL is another example. I understand why the bean counters and Y class passengers like them, however the cabin divider is for F not Y.

VX had the best cabin divider. It was similar to VA. I believe AS could have created a really nice cabin environment if they would have adopted the VX design in an AS brand appropriate color.

Looks great, at least they didn't chose that predictable MiQ seat (also a great seat, just way too many airlines using it at this point). Although I'm still not onboard with the idea of these seats replacing the A320 seats. Also, did that 737 have mood lighting or just the usual white lighting?

Daytime flight, couldn't tell. But AS has beaten its chest that mood lighting was coming to new cabins so I'll assume it's there.

itripreport wrote:

Looks great, at least they didn't chose that predictable MiQ seat (also a great seat, just way too many airlines using it at this point). Although I'm still not onboard with the idea of these seats replacing the A320 seats. Also, did that 737 have mood lighting or just the usual white lighting?

Going on a decade of trying to navigate photos on this damn site...

PlanesNTrains wrote:

n7371f wrote:

Getting warmer. . Looking on the Flickr album, they do look nice.

n7371f wrote:

Not sure about the color scheme and the bulkhead but anything is better than the current fabric bulkhead that debuted in 1990.

BLASPHEMY!

ps. Yes there's "mood lighting" on the 73Gs. I don't think it's like the 739ERs though where there's a huge selection of colors they can use. I think it's just blue or white.

chrisair wrote:

ps. Yes there's "mood lighting" on the 73Gs. I don't think it's like the 739ERs though where there's a huge selection of colors they can use. I think it's just blue or white.

For me as a passenger, the upgrade to LED is less about the palette of colors and more about avoiding the inevitable replacement of fluorescent tubes over time with non-matching ones. Go get on a non-refurb AS 73G, or any other aircraft of that age with fluorescent lighting, and you'll see a haphazard rainbow of tube colors from "warm white" to "cool white" and everything in between.

chrisair wrote:

n7371f wrote:

Not sure about the color scheme and the bulkhead but anything is better than the current fabric bulkhead that debuted in 1990.

BLASPHEMY!

ps. Yes there's "mood lighting" on the 73Gs. I don't think it's like the 739ERs though where there's a huge selection of colors they can use. I think it's just blue or white.

I had a small part in the old carpet bulkhead design so am sad to see it go. That said, yes it's old and dated but when it was introduced it was beautiful!

I'm curious and mystified. Are the photographs supposed to be AS or VX? If they are supposed to be AS, why are the first class seats bearing the Virgin logo?

nikeherc wrote:

I'm curious and mystified. Are the photographs supposed to be AS or VX? If they are supposed to be AS, why are the first class seats bearing the Virgin logo?

That photo isn't of the refurbished AS aircraft, it's of a Virgin Australia 738.

Any pics of the new Airbus Modification?

FlightLevel360 wrote:

I would avoid this product on transcons and Hawaii flights, though.

You’re in luck! Alaska’s 73G’s aren’t ETOPS so you won’t see them in Hawaii and they rarely show up on transcon routes.

hiflyeras wrote:

chrisair wrote:

n7371f wrote:

Not sure about the color scheme and the bulkhead but anything is better than the current fabric bulkhead that debuted in 1990.

BLASPHEMY!

ps. Yes there's "mood lighting" on the 73Gs. I don't think it's like the 739ERs though where there's a huge selection of colors they can use. I think it's just blue or white.

I had a small part in the old carpet bulkhead design so am sad to see it go. That said, yes it's old and dated but when it was introduced it was beautiful!

I grew up flying AS so that bulkhead design is very nostalgic to me. Maybe I'm biased because of that, but seeing it instantly makes me feel comfy. I'm going to miss it when it's gone.

nikeherc wrote:

I'm curious and mystified. Are the photographs supposed to be AS or VX? If they are supposed to be AS, why are the first class seats bearing the Virgin logo?

The Virgin Australia 737 First Class cabin has fewer seats with less seat-pitch (VS 8 seats @ 38") than the AS 737 (AS 12-16 seats @ 41"). I could be wrong, but I believe AS has a better FC seat-pitch than any other US domestic 737 FC. The extra seats/pitch on AS probably explains why there wasn't enough room to install a proper bulkhead between FC and the main cabin.

Chugach wrote:

FlightLevel360 wrote:

I would avoid this product on transcons and Hawaii flights, though.

You’re in luck! Alaska’s 73G’s aren’t ETOPS so you won’t see them in Hawaii and they rarely show up on transcon routes.

The comparison is also, a bit lacking as well - in order to achieve parity.

It's not as if all routes are being flown, by B6, with a Mint product. AS is also not specializing towards a premium, reserved product to serve trans-cons, or longer haul routes either. Kudos to them for taking a stance on the issue, and perhaps to the betterment of their airline. It's neither good nor bad, but a choice among two. B6's standard A320's do not also wow with factors of design, or dramatic 'business class' cabins (or any differentiation at all in the cabin, save for 'more room' seats), and they account for the vast majority of the fleet. A fuji to macintosh example would be to equate an AS 73G to a B6 A320 CEO that has a few years on it.

Even at a lower cost, B6 has had to limit where and when it can deploy Mint. The benefit of the A321 shines here, however even at a lower cost (perhaps) that that of competitors, these are still premium services offered by the airline, likely at a cost that is premium to their relative costs as well. Though limited, B6 has deployed the product on routes where both the A321's range (and the addition of Mint, increasing range) to longer flights and services (apart from the Trans-Cons, seeing them add BOS-Caribbean seasonal flying et al) and it truly shows capability - however, it does not touch the vast majority of JetBlue's business. As others have noted, unless you live within the reach of these services - you are limited in what JetBlue can provide, especially if travel calls for outside of their range, in a way that the legacy carriers have mastered decades ago. Even at a lower cost, B6's "Best" is limited - and maybe in that debate, AS positioned that it was not worth the specialization (especially being late to the game and having to compete against Mint, and perhaps even AA's A321Ts in some cases). They had the VX books and experience, to be able to see what did and did not work, and they have standardized towards a different approach.

Rajahdhani wrote:

The comparison is also, a bit lacking as well - in order to achieve parity.

It's not as if all routes are being flown, by B6, with a Mint product. AS is also not specializing towards a premium, reserved product to serve trans-cons, or longer haul routes either. Kudos to them for taking a stance on the issue, and perhaps to the betterment of their airline. It's neither good nor bad, but a choice among two. B6's standard A320's do not also wow with factors of design, or dramatic 'business class' cabins (or any differentiation at all in the cabin, save for 'more room' seats), and they account for the vast majority of the fleet. A fuji to macintosh example would be to equate an AS 73G to a B6 A320 CEO that has a few years on it.

Even at a lower cost, B6 has had to limit where and when it can deploy Mint. The benefit of the A321 shines here, however even at a lower cost (perhaps) that that of competitors, these are still premium services offered by the airline, likely at a cost that is premium to their relative costs as well. Though limited, B6 has deployed the product on routes where both the A321's range (and the addition of Mint, increasing range) to longer flights and services (apart from the Trans-Cons, seeing them add BOS-Caribbean seasonal flying et al) and it truly shows capability - however, it does not touch the vast majority of JetBlue's business. As others have noted, unless you live within the reach of these services - you are limited in what JetBlue can provide, especially if travel calls for outside of their range, in a way that the legacy carriers have mastered decades ago. Even at a lower cost, B6's "Best" is limited - and maybe in that debate, AS positioned that it was not worth the specialization (especially being late to the game and having to compete against Mint, and perhaps even AA's A321Ts in some cases). They had the VX books and experience, to be able to see what did and did not work, and they have standardized towards a different approach.

Very well stated. Comparing B6 Mint/AA 321Ts/UA PS to AS is like comparing AS to WN. It's an entirely different approach. WN doesn't pretend to offer FC or premium economy in the same way the AS doesn't pretend to offer a premium first class. Notwithstanding AS Premium Economy which is comparable to what the big3 offer, AS FC does provide reasonable value for the price point. And before someone chimes in and says that AS FC is often priced similar to B6 Mint, I would argue that speaks more to how little most people are actually willing to pay for a premium domestic FC experience.

jetboy319 wrote:

Very well stated. Comparing B6 Mint/AA 321Ts/UA PS to AS is like comparing AS to WN. It's an entirely different approach. WN doesn't pretend to offer FC or premium economy in the same way the AS doesn't pretend to offer a premium first class. Notwithstanding AS Premium Economy which is comparable to what the big3 offer, AS FC does provide reasonable value for the price point. And before someone chimes in and says that AS FC is often priced similar to B6 Mint, I would argue that speaks more to how little most people are actually willing to pay for a premium domestic FC experience.

Extrapolating further - First on AS is actually comparable to Business/First on other Full Service Carriers - outside of the premium services offered on the flagship LAX/SFO-East Coast services. A few redesigned elemtents; a Blue plaque with the Globe Logo on it, black marble center pieces between seats, some new seat covers - et voila, UA's new cabin on the remainder of their 737 fleet. Once we're referring to 737s - and with DL, UA, and AA flying them in copious amounts - it's hard to need to do more than they do, when you can indeed price the same or lower (and milk your lower operating costs). They too here face constraints and impose restraint by serving and focusing on their home markets. East Coast flying is limited, and selective. In this measure, with AS offering a first class cabin on each mainline aircraft - perhaps offers more first class seats and serves more passengers than, JetBlue - who is highly selective on where and when they deploy their services. Both are fine approaches, in a highly competitive market and both are shaped by the advantages and needs of each airline as they developed. Could JetBlue dedicate space to Business Class cabins on every aircraft? Sure, however for the vast majority of passengers - the experience and math has shown that this may not be one they value enough to be profitably viable for the company - in the same way that VX's investment did not pay off into guaranteed income - and AS, the acquirer of said experience.

lebda wrote:

hiflyeras wrote:

chrisair wrote:

BLASPHEMY!

ps. Yes there's "mood lighting" on the 73Gs. I don't think it's like the 739ERs though where there's a huge selection of colors they can use. I think it's just blue or white.

I had a small part in the old carpet bulkhead design so am sad to see it go. That said, yes it's old and dated but when it was introduced it was beautiful!

I grew up flying AS so that bulkhead design is very nostalgic to me. Maybe I'm biased because of that, but seeing it instantly makes me feel comfy. I'm going to miss it when it's gone.

A part of me will die on the inside when it disappears forever. I have an incredible amount of nostalgia wrapped up in that carpet.

QXAS wrote:

lebda wrote:

hiflyeras wrote:

I had a small part in the old carpet bulkhead design so am sad to see it go. That said, yes it's old and dated but when it was introduced it was beautiful!

I grew up flying AS so that bulkhead design is very nostalgic to me. Maybe I'm biased because of that, but seeing it instantly makes me feel comfy. I'm going to miss it when it's gone.

A part of me will die on the inside when it disappears forever. I have an incredible amount of nostalgia wrapped up in that carpet.

Thanks, you two. I’m glad I’m not the only one.

jetboy319 wrote:

nikeherc wrote:

I'm curious and mystified. Are the photographs supposed to be AS or VX? If they are supposed to be AS, why are the first class seats bearing the Virgin logo?

The Virgin Australia 737 First Class cabin has fewer seats with less seat-pitch (VS 8 seats @ 38") than the AS 737 (AS 12-16 seats @ 41"). I could be wrong, but I believe AS has a better FC seat-pitch than any other US domestic 737 FC. The extra seats/pitch on AS probably explains why there wasn't enough room to install a proper bulkhead between FC and the main cabin.

VA = Virgin Australia
VS = Virgin Atlantic
VX = Virgin America

AS now has US industry-leading domestic F seat pitch at 40”-41” (depending on source) vs all fleet types excluding AA, DL, UA and B6 premium F/J — e.g., transcon and Mint.

There is plenty of room to install a hard-wall cabin dividers. There are better solutions than the visual cabin dividers.

hiflyeras wrote:

I had a small part in the old carpet bulkhead design so am sad to see it go. That said, yes it's old and dated but when it was introduced it was beautiful!

That’s a cool, claim to fame story. What was your small part?

Somehow AS has found a way to roll out a color palette even more bland than AA.

questions wrote:

hiflyeras wrote:

I had a small part in the old carpet bulkhead design so am sad to see it go. That said, yes it's old and dated but when it was introduced it was beautiful!

That’s a cool, claim to fame story. What was your small part?

A friend worked for Teague as an artist/designer and they'd gotten the AS account for new interiors and hard product. I was a college student and studying Native American art (among other things) and I suggested they look at a basket-weave style design. He never gave me credit though! LOL

hiflyeras wrote:

questions wrote:

hiflyeras wrote:

I had a small part in the old carpet bulkhead design so am sad to see it go. That said, yes it's old and dated but when it was introduced it was beautiful!

That’s a cool, claim to fame story. What was your small part?

A friend worked for Teague as an artist/designer and they'd gotten the AS account for new interiors and hard product. I was a college student and studying Native American art (among other things) and I suggested they look at a basket-weave style design. He never gave me credit though! LOL

Haha. Great little story. Thanks for sharing!

questions wrote:

There is plenty of room to install a hard-wall cabin dividers. There are better solutions than the visual cabin dividers.

For Alaska to maintain its' current seat-pitch and capacity in First, Premium and Economy Classes, there is not enough space for a hard-wall cabin divider. Sure, they could squeeze rows of seats together in order to accommodate it, but they have chosen increased seat-pitch instead which only allows room for the blade-style with an aisle curtain.

New Airbus Inside Photos. Farewell VX hello Bland Airways.

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/n628va/?hl=en

Not a fan of the rejigged mood lighting not sure what they did but it looks a little severe.

This looks better...

https://g.foolcdn.com/image/?url=https% ... &op=resize

AirbusA322 wrote:

New Airbus Inside Photos. Farewell VX hello Bland Airways.

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/n628va/?hl=en

Not a fan of the rejigged mood lighting not sure what they did but it looks a little severe.

This looks better...

https://g.foolcdn.com/image/?url=https% ... &op=resize

The cabin looks like its supposed to be used by an ULCC in Asia.