Recaro Aircraft Seating SL3710 Seat Makes its North American Debut on Frontier Airlines’ A320neo Aircraft
Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, March 23, 2021 – Recaro Aircraft Seating’s (Recaro) lightweight SL3710 seat made its North America debut on Frontier Airlines’ (Frontier) A320 aircraft on March 23, 2021. Weighing in at 8 kilograms, the seat is the lightest member in the economy class seat market and supports Frontier’s mission of being “America’s Greenest Airline.”
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. Starting in July 2020, Recaro ramped up the customization and certification process to ensure the first seats would begin delivery in February 2021.
“Efficiency was a tremendous driving force behind customizing the seat and resulted in a 30% weight reduction for each seat,” said Dr. Mark Hiller, CEO and Shareholder at Recaro Aircraft Seating. “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.”
The combination of an ergonomic seat design and durable materials delivers a comfortable and efficient SL3710 economy class seat. Revamped armrests, spacious tray tables and adaptable backrest concept provide passengers of all sizes with a comfortable flight experience. The optimized components of the SL3710 seat requires 50% less maintenance for airlines. In addition, the lightweight materials and seat coverings created with recycled leather reduce fuel consumption costs and minimize an aircraft’s carbon footprint.
“This new aircraft, the first to feature the new Recaro seats, represents a significant milestone for our company,” said Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines. “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.”
Colorado-based Frontier Airlines operates more than 100 A320 family aircraft and has the largest A320neo fleet in the United States serving approximately 100 destinations in North America. The use of these aircraft, Frontier’s seating configuration, weight-saving tactics and baggage process have all contributed to making Frontier the most fuel-efficient U.S. airline.
This order is a part of a larger award between Recaro and Indigo Partners, which consists of 100,000 seats being delivered to Frontier, Wizz Air, Volaris, JetSmart and enerjet.
