New Hawaiian Airlines Fleet to Feature “Cutting-Edge” Seating

Hawaiian Airlines recently announced that Adient Aerospace and Collins Aerospace will supply the seats for its new Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The aircraft is scheduled to enter the airline’s transpacific route network in 2021.

According to the airlines, Adient Aerospace will develop lie-flat, premium cabin seats for its incoming Dreamliner fleet. The airlines also chose to partner with Collins Aerospace to provide lightweight, comfortable, and spacious main cabin seating.  

“We couldn’t be more pleased for Adient Aerospace and Collins Aerospace to join us in creating a distinctively Hawaiian cabin experience in our future flagship aircraft,” Hawaiian Airlinesʻ senior vice president for marketing Avi Mannis said. “Our guests will enjoy the island-inspired comfort and warm hospitality for which we’re known, while relaxing in seats that represent the cutting edge of innovation in seating technology.”

Since its launch just last year, Adient Aerospace has focused on refining its Ascent Seating System to address the industryʻs need for more choice, capacity, and quality in aircraft seating. The modular, premium lie-flat seat features double suites and was designed specifically for the wide-body cabin of the 787-9. In its new pursuit to redefine luxury travel to Hawaiʻi, Adient Aerospace will tailor its flexible seat to accommodate Hawaiianʻs leisure guests, such as couples and families, while providing enhanced functions for business travelers.

The main cabin will feature Collins Aerospaceʻs Aspire seats, the industryʻs lightest, full-featured product in its class, according to the airlines. The seatʻs modern design offers guests more shoulder and hip room, along with ergonomically contoured back and arm rests. The seat back can accommodate a large in-flight entertainment screen, provides generous storage, and practical tray table features. Hawaiian will provide Collins Aerospace’s Pinnacle Main Cabin seats on its fleet of narrow-body Airbus A321neo aircraft.

“This is a significant agreement for us as we build on a strong relationship with Hawaiian Airlines. As the widest seat available for a wide-body aircraft, Aspire is uniquely designed to provide their passengers with maximum living space,” said Colin Mahoney, vice president, Business Development, Interiors for Collins Aerospace. “Aspire offers an enhanced comfort system with an advanced kinematic mechanism that cradles the passenger during flight.”

Hawaiian announced last year that it would purchase 10 new 787-9 aircraft, with rights to acquire an additional 10 aircraft. The 787-9ʻs light composite airframe will allow the airlines to pressurize its spacious cabins at a far lower altitude, creating a more comfortable and quiet setting for guests. Additional amenities include extra-large windows with dimmable LED shades, and larger overhead luggage bins.