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Alaska Airlines announced today that it is adding seats to both its Premium and First Class cabins. More than 200 Boeing 737-900ER, 737-800, and 737 MAX 9 aircraft will see additional seats. This expansion will add 1.3 million seats annually to Alaska’s mainline fleet in the cabins that guests will spend more on.
First Class and Premium Cabin Seat Changes
Alaska will make the following modifications to its First Class cabins:
- The Boeing 737-800 aircraft will see seats increase from 12 to 16 in First Class and keep 30 in Premium Class.
- The Boeing 737-900ER aircraft will see First Class seats remain at 16 and Premium Class increase from 24 to 30.
- The Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft will see First Class seats remain at 16 and Premium Class increase from 24 to 30.
The new First Class seats installed on the 737-800 fleet will continue to offer the most legroom. Features include a calf rest, new seatback device holder, 6-way headrest with neck support, and USB-C charging capabilities.
Passengers in the Main Cabin and Premium Class of the Boeing 737-800 fleet will see new device holders with built in cup holders, USB-C charging, and a six-way headrest with dedicated neck support. Premium Class passengers receive Economy Class seats with four additional inches of pitch, free alcoholic drinks on flights longer than 350 miles, and priority boarding.
When Alaska modifies the Boeing 737-900ER fleet to increase Premium Class, it will convert six of Main Cabin seats and refresh the interior with modern touches like device holders. All Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft will also get six additional seats converted to Premium Class.
Alaska is seeing the same demand as other carriers for luxury with passengers booking Premium and First Class seats. First Class and Premium Class revenues finished up 8% and 6% respectively in the last quarter. Alaska’s First Class load factor hit 71% for the quarter (up 4.3 point).
Anthony’s Take: Upgrades be damned. People are booking premium seats and Alaska is making adjustments to meet this demand. If this travel bubble ever pops, Alaska and others will have lots of space to make elite flyers happy. For now, people are buying the cabins they want to sit in.
(Image Credits: Alaska Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
Doesn’t fix their broken upgrade process.