How Old, Nasty Airplane Seats Are Given A Second Life
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- čas přidán 24. 03. 2023
- A commercial plane typically flies multiple times a day, thousands of times a year, for several years before updating the interior.
According to AeroDynamic Advisory and Tronos Aviation Consulting, the aircraft interiors was a 6.5 billion dollar business in 2022. The total seat market was $2.9 billion dollars, with new seats at $933 million and retrofitted seats at $1.39 billion. It projects the total interiors market to reach $8 billion by 2027.
Seats are a crucial part of an airline's business. A typical narrowbody jet like a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 has as many as 180 seats. And replacing them with brand new seats can be expensive. A more complicated seat with in-flight entertainment screen, power outlets, recline mechanisms is more costly.
Many airlines chose to refurbish or refresh the seats by stripping down the ones they already have in service or acquired from another airline or leasing company.
An airline may choose to refurbish seats versus replacing them based on a few factors which include age of aircraft, age of the actual seats and cost.
CNBC visited Latitude Aero, a refurbishment company in Greensboro, North Carolina, to see what goes into giving airplane seats a second life. The company specializes in commercial aircraft seating. A small company compared to the bigger seat manufacturers like Collins Aerospace and Zodiac Aerospace but the business has been growing nonetheless.
Produced, Shot and Edited by: Erin Black
Additional Camera and Drone: Shawn Baldwin
Animation by: Alex Wood
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
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How Old, Nasty Airplane Seats Are Given A Second Life
Nice to see that the sears are built and designed so well and that they have such a long service life. I wish we had the same system for the rest of the consumer stream.
Most people don’t want to pay for the quality. China has destroyed the market with imitation products that look identical to high end products for a fraction of the cost… and with people being the way they are, they opt for the cheaper version thinking they are getting the same product.
At some point, we as a society have been brain washed that everything just is the way it is. Everything is junk, it’s all the same.. so just buy the cheapest junk. It’s a vicious cycle.
What it’s $5000 for a pretty basic chair and requires a $2000 refresh every 10 years. Imagine the amazing seats your ass would be planted on if you budgeted $9k acquiring and replacing a single chair for 30 years (5k up front and 2 refreshes)
@@marcusofranz1102 - A quality office chair or armchair costs over $1000 and lasts about the same if used daily. A commercial use single person sofa is upwards of $2k.
These airline seats are sat in by all sizes of people, every day and in average 13 hours each day.
By their 10 year “life”, they are still in usable condition and just need to be refreshed so people sitting in them don’t feel they are sitting in an old seat. $2k maintenance every 10 years is an excellent ongoing expense.
It is good to know the seats were designed for refurbishment rather than being disposable. Having the foam in velcro instead of being glued makes things easier.
It's the same way in a lot of modern automobiles. Lear makes some fabulous seating for Cadillacs.
They’re Velcro because the seat cushions double as flotation devices in case the plane makes an emergency landing on water.
I think most removable things from an aircraft are reused/resold because they're way too expensive to be thrown away.
Also lifejackets made from strong styrofoam for floating purposes as well with flashlight, beacon light and whistle
now if stuff were made today llike this, we would have less trash
1:45 Did she just call Airbus "A- Bus"?
When I heard that, I had to skip back to see if I heard it right. Would have been funnier to go with B-wing and A-Bus
I had to go back and double check as well. That she did. Never heard it called that before haha
Most people here are economists, not av-geeks unfortunately.
what the haillll
I was hoping someone noticed it 🤣
I just retired from a major US airline with over 30 years as an aircraft mechanic. Most people have no understanding of just how dirty and worn these seats can get. Add into the refurbishment all parts have to have that FAA PMA approval and that's a big part of the expense. I worked in both heavy maintenance where we tore the interiors out and the airframes & other components got a very detailed look, as well as in shops where seats, galley's, lavatories, flaps, and all other components get overhauled. Thanks to all now working in that business, those who have, and those who will in the future. Those same phrases also apply to all members of our armed forces. FLY NAVY!!!
Fellow VP squadron member got my start in navy aviation!
Former Boeing Everett.... love brand new interiors... the smell is wonderful. Every part of an aircraft has to be approved by the FAA. Inspectors are so frequent it seems like some are on site 24/7. I think they too love the smell of brand new planes. What do you think?
Go Navy... spent time in St Louis at Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet Factory. Lots of meetings with Top Navy Brass, DOD, and many others with alphabet soup letters for Org names. I was a Certified Lean Manufacturing Instructor. Navy was good to work with. Many minds make amazing improvements.
@@SJR_Media_Group I equate the new airplane smell to a new car smell. I interviewed with Boeing in Everett many years ago, they were in the midst of union contract problems then so I didn't take their offer of employment. Took the factory tour there and it was very impressive. FLY NAVY!!!
@@USNveteran I too was cautious before joining Boeing. There was Union Activity when we were Leaning out the processes. There would be a reduction in workforce.
No one was laid off, there was some voluntary retirements. After we explained that Lean would make their jobs easier and safer. Union finally bought in and now we had a full team to save all of our jobs.
The smell of some of the solvents and sealants were new to me. I actually liked those smells. You are right, the 'New Car Smell' is a combination of everything. I never bought a brand new car, but a few of the used cars still smelled 'Factory Fresh'.
Go Navy... my dad enlisted in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor. He was in the Pacific Theater on LST's. He repaired damaged ships and helped get them back into the fight. When he died about 10 years ago, he had a full Military Funeral complete with Honor Guards. I held it together until the 21 gun salute. I was so humbled and grateful for his sacrifice I finally cried.
Have his flag and medals in a triangular display. I also have a mini urn with some of his cremation ashes. He spent time in San Diego at Naval Base there. I love San Diego, been there twice, and when I go next time, will make sure his ashes are spread out at Sea. It's the least I can do for dad.
Before I graduated, I checked out all 4 Military Branches at our Recruitment Center. All were in same small space. To visit another Branch all I had to do was walk 20 feet to next desk. Everyone could hear everyone else. It almost like a bidding war. Who as going to get the straight A student with advanced math, physics, chemistry, leadership, and highly motivated to serve.
I wanted to be a pilot and help my buddies in Vietnam. I had gone to local training base and watched a live fire exercise. I fell in love with the Cobra Gunship. This was in 72. My Draft Number was Low enough that I wasn't taking any chances about being drafted and then stuck in something I wouldn't like.
I was in the Last Draft, it then ended.
I went with Marines. They were changing their CAS role in War. They had to rely on Army for CAS who had really revolutionized Helicopter roles. Calvary changed from Horses to Helicopters. Marines were doing the same. Marines made an offer I couldn't refuse. Plus they have really nice uniforms, and if you get killed, they have really great funerals.
Lots of paperwork and tests. Becoming a pilot had really strict requirements for Marines. I could have gone Army and been flying in less than a year. Marines wanted College Grads. I was in College but hadn't graduated yet. That could be waved if I was actually already in College.
Also, the Marines required Pilots to be Lieutenants. Officer Training Program before flying anything for Marines. More paper work and tests.
Marine Slogan "A Few Good Men" was 100 percent true. They don't put junk within their Ranks. That is Main Reason I went Marines. Plus Marines and Navy are like Blood Brothers. It would Honor my Dad for his service in the Navy during WWII.
Back in the days, Marines rode on ships manned by the Navy. They provided transportation and logistics. Marines defended the ships. Marine still rely on Navy, and Navy still rely on Marines. Hard for Marines to land on a Carrier they don't have. Only Navy has Carriers.
Just recently I finally had an Ah ha moment. The word "Marines' is straight from the word "Mariner" which is from their time with Navy who also were "Mariners".
Long story short... War ended in 73. Ink on my paperwork was still wet. I was in College waiting for 'the call'. I had passed every mental, physiological, and physical test required before Officer's Training.
I had 1 requirement Marines had to guarantee and they did. I wanted Front Line duty in War to help my buddies on the ground with CAS. I did not want to be in back at a safe and boring base.
Call came, they said stay in College for now. They had thousands of returning pilots who were given first priority. They had fought and died. They would remain pilots before any new recruits did. If there were open slots, then new pilots had a chance.
After all the dust settled, there might be slots open. Did I want to go to Japan or Germany for 4 - 8 years... no front line fighting in war providing CAS to boots on the ground.
*_They already knew the answer._*
Years later I was still serving via Boeing and their Military side of the Company. My time in St Louis working with Navy, DOD, and others while improving the F/A-18. If we couldn't speed production and lower sticker price, Navy would pull out of contract.
I came in from Commercial Side where we can build a 747 in a week. 4 giant engines, 400 seats, 2 kitchens, 200 windows, 2,000 miles of wires, giant cockpit, gigantic structure to paint, and on and on.
F/A-18 1 window, 1 seat (2 later), 2 small jet engines, 200 miles of wires, Top Secret weapons and electronic boxes, small overall size. (Yes I had Top Secret Clearance).
*_Why did it take over a year to build?_*
We 'fixed' the problems, lowered cost, improved production flow and got 2nd Navy Contract. We saved Boeing.
@@SJR_Media_Group I have a somewhat similar Vietnam story. Got my draft card and report date, followed by a letter saying they were stopping the draft and I didn't have to report. Joined the Navy a few years later.
Stationed at Pax River and worked in the rotary wing flight test squadron. It's quite a bit different than ship board squadrons, which I also got to see. Worked with many great NAVAIR engineers & test pilots.
When I separated after 4 years went to work for a defense contractor in the rotary wing shop at US Naval Test Pilot School, also got in a little fixed wing time. Once again another amazing environment & group of people.
Next stop was a King Air & T-34 contract at Pax where an A&P license was required which I already got immediately after separating from the Navy. Once again another amazing group of engineers & test pilots.
From there I went to the airline business, talked to Boeing in that time frame as well. Started in commuter regionals, next was air freight, then major airline. Just retired after 30+ years in the airline business.
We have much military service in our families, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam. My father in law joined the Navy on 12/8/41 at 16. Was a torpedo man in the Destroyer Escort Fleet. He made 37 trips through the Panama Canal seeing Naval Combat in both the Atlantic & Pacific theaters. My brother's father in law was USMC in WWII and was on Tarawa & Saipan. Both of these men's stories made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I feel truly fortunate to have heard them first hand.
It's was quite a journey and I was very fortunate to have seen & done the things I have. I feel privileged to have been able to work with the people I did and learn from them , especially the Vietnam & Korea vets.
FLY NAVY!!!
How does a person even start a company like this? It's really fascinating!
start with bicycle seating/...
As a poor boy with a bike shop after the war who was just very curious
By “accident”
He knows someone in the airline management. "Hey, start a company refurbishing airline seats"
This is fantastic! Really glad to see an industry built upon repair and reuse! Could not happen without having well built equipment suitable for refurbishment to begin with. More expensive, but worth the longevity.
United States need to create more warehouses dedicated to these type of job!
One interesting fact is that a few old ex-AA seats ended up on Boeing's MAX10 testbed
1:45 "a-bus a320" 😅
thats why i scrolled down to the comments. they cant use google?
@@BlueCatIV They have the correct text on the screen, but apparently didn't check if the audio matched.
What life can they give to a thing that is already dead from the misery and inconvenience of the people sitting on them
Not to mention the sheer weight of their aggression
@@stevecooper7883 very true
😂😂😂😂🤣
These seats have absorbed so many farts
Obviously.
Leather can't absorb. My flight neighbor told me so.
Hopefully they put in fresh padding.
Hyped to try out this new “a-bus a320”
Aren't these already dead When they are first loaded on to so called economy classes which are in reality just a fancy way of loading as many humans as possible
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. An enormous congratulations to you ❤️
So glad there is an industry like this, it sure is needed!!!
What a fascinating and unique business?
Lol a-bus 1:45 😂
Kudos to this company recycling and cleaning is the way to go
that's a huge crowd of airline seats.
I hope they took advantage of 2020 to refurbish the seats, being that it was mentioned that airlines lose money if a plane is not in use.
Cabin Interior Mechanic here. And I approve this video. 👍❤️
Any idea how to get into this industry?
@lynestelles3899 get an education. License. Apply for hundreds of job openings.
Very cool!
Cool job to be honest.
One of those things , you've never thought of but are now happy that you learned about it.
A bus? 😂 1:47
What a unique business. Wow!!
This is so cool!
Seats in planes , buses, trains and cars generally aren’t human shaped !
Those seats are hell
So interesting!
Which is genius! Less use of materials and just add the electronics instead of creating new chairs. Idk how i didnt know this was a business
Economy class seat costs $5000 and Business class $100,000 ?
amazing
1:46…”A-bus…” 😐😐
1:45 A bus? You mean a plane?
Imagine the rings, coins, ear pods, cell phones, ink pens, charger cords they find!
Nice
...did you say "A-Bus"?? 1:44
They are the last things in the world that can be given life 😂
bro youre indian
@@user-vw6lj7sv3y that reply says a lot about a person who doesn't have any knowledge about India and it's people
By the way i am a citizen of United Kingdom but yes I am Indian
wish i was smart enough to get on that train and open my own shop doing a niche like that $$$$
I've never thought of this
Not only in the US,,, i work here in the UK we refurbished also VIP aircraft and all interiors,,, this is our company CABIN Air services,,, if there's an airline company just Google our company,,,
I need this video
They are donated to Spirit Airlines😂
Another hit out of the park! And gotta be FAA Certified! Gonna say it :" Not a bad way for young folks to make a living.". All for fun!
Clean now in spring cleaning
“A bus 320”🤌🏻
Hopefully they throw out the flattened out padding with the beer farts soaked in there.
Wow
In my countries, retired aircraft seat is (usually busines class) used for inter city buses
Interesting! Any pictures of that?
6:38 talking about removing of the screens from seats. Yeah...had the misfortune of flying both American (BOS to STL) and United (STL-DEN-BOS) and both of those airlines didn't have screens in 2021, that was nice....sitting there for the 3 hours down, 2 hours over and 4 hours home w/nothing but a seatback magazine to pass the time with. IFE passes time, thankfully international flights have this.
Or replace of maintenance of new ones
I wonder more about the air filtration system. Do they have filters, what kind of filters and *are they regularly changed* ? 🤔 🌬️ 👄 🌬️
Info most passengers don't know...
Imagine how many farts have been hot-pumped into them through the years.
nutty
Half of those are mine.
"hot-pumped" 💀
floatation device
@@ForeverHeHim side note - I once had gas so bad on a plane that I was asked to deplane. The only reason I was able to avoid this fate was I told the stewardess that I would go to the media and complain about "racism" if they kicked me off the flight and would not mention my rancid ass vapors. I was upgraded to first class where the seats are more substantial and thus better suited to accommodate my discharges.
Why not using battery drills and impact drivers etc?????
What happens to seats on planes that are retired and scrapped?
Compare with Amtrak refreshing its cars built during the 1970s and 80s, likely for the last time.
Stop leaving crumbs everywhere people. And use wipes to clean up sugary drinks, those seats get so nasty
From Chennai,India.
We recycle almost all products. We do not have facilities to park the aircraft otherwise our business people would have got into this. We have tailors who can stitch tha covers. Good Idea.
People have no idea of how filthy those seats are.
When you remove the fabric and get to see the foam, you will see multiple generations of spilled liquids, some of them body fluids…
There's a rumor that they also manage to shrink the seats a half inch. Part of the manufacturing building is closed to no authorized personal .
Airstream uses "Ultra leather." However there has not been any upgrade in RV seat functions.
"A-Bus" - Erin Black
When they start doing plastics, will they be authorized to install Boeing/Airbus designed parts (Boeing Space Bins, Boeing Sky interior sidewalls, Airbus Airspace XL bins, etc.) or will they only be able to install 3rd party designed parts (Safran overhead bins, NuLook overhead bins, Rockwell Collins lavatories, etc.)
Surprised to see the employees a hand held screw driver and a battery powered screw driver.
Correction: And NOT a battery powered screw driver. How tedious and slow can you make that job.
@@roberthowell7095 if you select the 3 vertical dots on the right side of your comment, you will see an option to edit it, instead of replying with another correction comment.
Why are they only using hand screw drivers?????
how? affix a new cover on seat and get them back in aircraft
Aircraft detail company...
Try automating that!
One thing they did not mention is removing blood stains. Those are usually caused by irate customers beating up another person on the plane. it is very expensive because that area has to be entirely sterilized.
I highly doubt they do more than wipe the blood off for the next flight
@@lukethompson5558They'd likely mark those seats as broken until they could get cleaned.
People don't care when it's not theirs. People trash airplanes
Please give the workers cordless screwdriver to make it faster and consistent, for God's sake
that's why I always carry hand sanitizer on airplanes and clean everything, those seats are NASTY, nasty, nasty, those cleaners even have a nickname for gross stuff: "DNA" lol
Ok
@@d.k.1394 thanks for taking the time to comment
@@edum.6353 yes dirty
@@d.k.1394 cute
I don't like dirty dirt
Why do JetBlue seats look better than American airlines?
Do planes get haunted?
6:35 Why bother putting screens in seats when we all have way better smartphones. The airlines should let us download the entertainment through their app and have it unlock once you check in.
You’d be surprised how many people seem to use the screens on the airplane, at least on the flights I’ve been on. You have to pay for the WiFi on board a plane, but nowadays the screens are free entertainment with countless movies and TV shows. We also get a flight tracker on them. It’s really nice to look down on a town or city and know which city you’re seeing from a moving map. Delta’s had them for over 15 years now, and United’s actually ADDING them to their fleet if you’re dubious about people actually using them. They’re seen as a perk in Delta so much that United had to add them to be competitive. And since you say phones are better, I’m sorry to break the news to you but the newer screens are not only the size of a large tablet, they’re a far higher definition than they used to be. From this comment, it would sound as if the only plane you’ve ever flown on is the Delta 737-800 with the screens from 2007. Yes, you’re correct about those. Dim, barely larger than a phone, poor resolution, laggy touch screen that needs to be pressed hard. They are bad, and they are the only reason why the bad reputation for these exists.
sell them to the bus company or passenger rail company they could use these seats.
Are they public ? Can we buy into it
I checked. They are not. Otherwise would be a fantastic opportunity
Who let the bedbugs out On Vegas flights
Im can sale them mi old couch were they can seat 4 pasangers on it for 200 buks ... 😅
airline seats are too small!!!!
*_Former Boeing Everett. Love the smell of brand new Wide Body Twin Aisle Interiors._*
Did you know that Boeing makes the best commercial aircraft in the World? They have been making aircraft decades before Airbus ever existed. We love the competition, it keeps us focused on what airline customers really want.
So glad 3D graphics and full blown animations are so lifelike it's hard to tell it's not real. Need a custom interior.. Boeing has their own factory to design and create interiors; seats, overhead storage, floor, windows, etc. Need custom HVAC for cabins... no problem Boeing has a factory for that too. Boeing has factories for everything. If a new plane is needed, Boeing will build a brand new factory just for that.
When Boeing Everett first started, we built a huge factory just for 747. Later 757, then 767, then 777, then 787. We can build all of those planes in the world's largest factory. We have room got 797 when that is ready to build.
*_Need refurbished seats? Call one of our vendors that do that. Tell them I sent you._*
I fly economy and I see it all! If you don’t glance or notice you aren’t a clean person. I cringe when I have to pick up a crayon that fell into the black hole! Just look at the hinges of your food tray table, uck! They aren’t fooling me. I go straight to the bathroom, foaming soap, hand sanitizer and clean down with 20 sheets of paper towels. Flight attendants are usually embarrassed when I have a bag of crumbs and soiled paper. Uckkk! Most times I clean down the baby changing tables for moms! I use ALL YOUR PAPER TOWELS, napkins and toilet paper.
I'm sorry....DNA?? 😩
The stock market has been a really tough one this past year, but I watched an interview on CNBC where the anchor kept mentioning "KATRINA VANRENSUM ". This prompted me to get in touch with her, and from August 2022 till now we have been working together, and I can now boast of $540,000 in my trading portfolio.
That's right, getting in touch with a consultant during the pandemic was how I was able to scale through the crazy stock downtrend.
That's massive. Can you please connect me with your personal broker, I would love to work with her
Like I said earlier , her name is KATRINA VANRENSUM and you can reach her via her website.
Just run a search on her name, and you would see all you need.
Thanks for the info . Found her website and it really impressive
Abus what the hao
9:11 (headskull emoji)
I detail cars and see some of the most disgusting cars due to people’s lifestyles. I can’t imagine how disgusting an airplane seat due to the multiple passengers per month and year.
Spirit we just duck tape them.
people might be still able to find the original Wuhan Covid strain at the bottom of the seat.
Shouldn't it be possible to mass produce seats for a much lower cost than $5,000? Just think about what other items cost. You can buy a small car brand new for $10,000. You can buy a whole entry level kitchen for $5,000. For $5,000 you can buy at least two electric bikes.
Where does the cost come from? Are they so expensive because they have to be built so sturdy and at the same time light weight? Could a $2,000 seat be built, but it would weigh five kilos more and over time saving five kilos is worth more than $3,000 for example?
It's the R&D cost, then testing time, then FAA approval work....
FAA approval about 2 years of work alone.
And yes, every pound in weight saved is equal to thousands of dollars of fuel over the lifetime of the plane.
Also T7 aluminum is some of the most expensive material you use in manuacturing. It rare to even use lower than T6 in aerospace... But the everyday aluminum items you & I might own and encounter during your life rarely meets even T5 quality; So the raw material can be 3-10x the cost, and none of the parts are going to be cast or forged, but most likely made of billet and machined.
There is a reason why a modern jet starts 25 million...for example a 737 is about 95 million.
What new car can you get for $10,000?
@@enadegheeghaghe6369 You can buy a new Dacia Sandero in Germany for €8,900. Not sure about the US prices. In the past the Mitsubishi Colt was famous here. It was just under €10,000. For around €12,500 you can get a Renault Twingo.
$5,000 is for 1 economy seat, so a half-row of 3 seats costs $15,000!
@@David..... Yeah I was gonna say the FAA certification takes a long time and costs a lot of money.
But what about the thousands of farts?
Pfft next time you're on public transit just try slapping the cushion versus an plane chair. This isnt newsworthy.
Look old
Airbus not aibus
Do you know why industry are moving away from US？
5000 usd for a econ seat？God save america
So many farts. Probably have to treat the covers as toxic waste.
A bus ಠ,_｣ಠ ಠᴥಠ
How about they refurbish them and put those bigger seats back into the plane so that we aren't being squeezed like sardines?!
North Carolina? Seems like something that would be done in a cheaper labor market.