Alaska Airlines is looking to quench our thirst for premium travel experiences by embarking on a huge retrofit program to add not only more but also upgraded First Class and Premium Class seats to more than 200 aircraft within the next two years, the Seattle-based carrier has announced.
It turns out that in a post-pandemic world, travelers don’t just want to get to their destination—they want to get there in comfort and style. Demand for luxury travel experiences is booming, and airlines are finding it easier than ever to fill the pointy end of the plane.
In fact, Alaska Airlines now calls this trend a ‘structural shift’ in higher demand for premium seats, and it needs to make these cabins bigger to support what it views as a long-term change.
Consider this, Alaska says it used to struggle to fill its premium cabins to 40% capacity with paid tickets, whereas now the load factor has reached around 71% for passengers to pay to sit in First Class.
That’s why Alaska will retrofit 79 of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft to increase the First Class capacity from just 12 seats to 16 seats, with the conversions set to start early next year and take around 18 months to rollout.
Increasing the number of First Class seats on the 737-800 will bring the aircraft type in line with the number of First Class seats already installed on the 737-900ER and 737MAX-9 models, although these planes will also be getting fresh new seats as part of a massive upgrade program.
Alaska has opted to continue working with European seat manufacturer RECARO for its domestic First Class seats, which will now include a calf rest and new seatback device holder, along with a 6-way headrest and USB-C charging.
Both the 737-900ER and 737MAX-9 models will, however, be getting more Premium Class seats, increasing the number from 24 today to 30 and bringing these models in line with the number of Premium Class seats already offered on the 737-800 model.
Premium Class seats are regular Main Cabin seats with additional legroom but Alaska will also be upgrading these seats in both cabins to include device and cup holders, as well as USB-C charging and a 6-way headrest.
This all sounds like good news but perhaps one of the biggest announcements from Alaska on Wednesday was that despite the increase in premium seats, the airline will still keep four lavatories on its mainline fleet – a pretty unusual decision for single-aisle aircraft.
The retrofit program is set to begin this Fall, and Alaska hopes to convert all of its planes by Summer 2026.
Boeing 737-800 fleet
59 of these aircraft will be retrofitted with the plan to increase the number of First Class seats from 12 to 16. The 737-800 fleet already has 30 Premium Class seats and this number will be maintained.
Conversions are set to get underway early next year and are expected to be completed by Summer 2026.
Boeing 737-900ER fleet
Alaska has plans to retrofit 79 of its 737-900ER fleet, increasing the number of Premium Class seats from 24 to 30. The number of First Class seats will be maintained at 16.
The retrofit program will start this Fall and will be completed by Summer 2025.
Boeing 737MAX-9
The 737MAX-9 fleet will also be getting an increase in Premium Class seats from 24 to 30, while the number of First Class seats will be maintained at 16. The conversion process isn’t going to start until Spring 2025 and is slated to be completed by Summer 2026.
A total of 80 Boeing 737MAX-9s will get new cabins as part of the retrofit program.
