Southwest has been taking steps to go green in their company and we have talked about them before, but they have taken a bigger step with their new green planes.
These planes are actually not new at all. The planes themselves are in great condition, it is just the interior that they made changes to. What kinds of changes?
- InterfaceFLOR Carpet – Made of 100% recycled carpet, it is installed in chunks so that if one part needs to be repaired, they only need to repair that one piece, while in the past, the carpet was all one piece of material. Whenever the carpet is worn out, the carpet will be sent back to the manufacturer to be turned into new carpet.
- Seat covers – Southwest is testing out two kinds, one on one side of the plane and one on the other. The weight savings will be around 2 pounds a seat! Plus the material is twice as durable as the former materials Southwest was using. The first kind is called e-Leather and is man-made to be like leather and it is made from recycled materials from the leather industry. The second kind is IZIT Leather, a durable alternative to leather, but it has the same feel. We will see which one will last…I wonder if Southwest will tell us?
- Life Vest Pouch – Offers a weight savings of one pound per passenger and is made of canvas rather than metal. Plus it leaves more room for carryon items under the sat.
- Foam Fill – The fill for the seat backs is lighter than before made from Garnier PURtec, but it is also supposed to be a lot more comfortable.
- Passenger Seat Rub Strips – Now made from aluminum, rather than plastic, they are more durable and easier to recycle.
Why does Southwest recognize the needs of climate change while other airlines are hardly doing anything at all? According to Southwest’s Chairman, President, and CEO: Gary Kelly, “Southwest is committed to continuing to lead the industry in emissions reductions through fuel efficiency. Efficiency in fuel consumption benefits our Company as well as the environment, and this has been part of our business model since the beginning.”
It is true. If you reduce the weight in the plane, you not only reduce the emissions used, you save money on gas. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Hopefully other airlines make changes like Southwest.
If you enjoyed this post consider subscribing to our feed, following us on twitter, and also signing up for our Weekly Green Tips email newsletter.
Related posts:
- Southwest’s Green Flight On St. Patrick’s Day Southwest Airlines decided to take a more sustainable approach...
- American Airlines Transatlantic Flights Go Greener On Thursday, June 11, 2009, American Airlines is testing...
- Drinking Coffee For A Cause Southwest has decided to start offering a higher quality,...
- The Governator and The Scorpion We have a thing for sports cars here at...
- Airline Food Goes Green Generally when I think of Airline Food, I think...
