Southwest Airlines refreshes cabin interiors, seating and more
Southwest Airlines seats from RECARO featuring sunray designs
Southwest Airlines is updating its look in 2025 with interior cabin design by Tangerine, enhanced seat offerings from RECARO Aircraft Seating (RECARO) and refreshed employee uniforms, among other enhancements to improve the passenger experience.
Updated aircraft interiors
Southwest Airlines has partnered with Tangerine to create an updated cabin interior for aircraft deliveries beginning next year. The designs are based on research, including how passengers and employees perceive colour and comfort onboard. The interior of the updated aircraft will integrate Southwest’s traditional feeling and energy with deep blue tones, sky blue accents, and themes of the Southwest heart woven into the carpet.
"Southwest flies above our competition with industry-leading flexibility and our legendary Hospitality," said Tony Roach, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Southwest Airlines. "Our redesigned cabin interior significantly enhances our inflight Customer experience and will complement the amazing service that our Crews provide."
Working with RECARO to deliver seating that complements the blue colour palette of the cabin, Southwest will also see the heart symbol embossed on the seats’ headrests. There will be a sunray pattern on the seats as well. The RECARO seats include a multi-adjustable headrest cushion for support with a design that maximizes width and comfort. Each seat also has a personal electronic device holder so passengers can enjoy the IFE from their device more easily.
"RECARO is proud to collaborate on expanding our footprint in the Americas, especially when working with a local partner like Southwest who began their story at the same time as us," said Mark Hiller, Ph.D., and CEO of RECARO Aircraft Seating and RECARO Holding. "Our new seat will be a great addition to the Southwest Customer Experience, as its durable design and comfort features will serve Passengers well."
"We're delighted to be part of Southwest's historic journey and next phase in their modernization plan," said Matt Round, Chief Creative Officer at Tangerine. "We've listened to Southwest's Customers and Employees and responded by creating a distinctive new cabin interior that meets and exceeds their desires. By working closely with Southwest and all suppliers involved, we were able to ensure the design intent was executed in the cabin to the highest possible quality. The stunning result is a testament to what can be achieved through a collaborative spirit from all those involved."
Refreshed employee uniforms
Southwest will also introduce updated uniforms for more than 53,000 employees. The Uniform Inspiration Team of 75 Southwest Employees worked with apparel vendor, Design Collective by Cintas and uniform brand consultant and fashion stylist Bonnie Markel to develop an elevated look for staff. The employees receiving new uniforms include those working in Inflight Operations, Ground Operations, Cargo, and Technical Operations for Southwest Airlines.
"This design project brings together unique points of view in a dynamic and engaging co-creation process," said Caroline Bartek, Creative Director with Design Collective by Cintas.
"As the design process unfolds, Design Collective and Bonnie Markel are creating an apparel line that represents the Southwest Brand, with crucial input from the Uniform Inspiration Team Members who bring their everyday working knowledge and experience to ensure the apparel of the future fulfills all their functional and fashion needs,” said Abby Groshek, Apparel Designer with Design Collective by Cintas.
Other enhancements to the passenger experience
Southwest has introduced many other enhancements to its services in the last year and a half, including upgrades to Wi-Fi equipment fleetwide at the end of 2023, allowing passengers to browse the Internet inflight with more bandwidth and faster data.
The airline has also outfitted its 737 MAX 8 aircraft with USB A and USB C power ports and larger overhead bins.
