JetBlue has announced its first A320 cabin restyling in 15 years which brings new seats as well as a modern in-flight entertainment system that features internet-streaming on HD seatback TVs, power outlets for personal devices and more. The new ergonomic seats provide generous personal space and improved comfort than before.
The fully connected in-seat experience is a part of its A320 cabin restyling program which was first announced back in November 2014. This is the first complete redesign that the airline has carried out on this particular fleet since it launched in 2000.
The main focus here is to keep passengers connected throughout their flight. They’ll get free gate-to-gate Fly-Fi high-speed internet, a new internet-enabled inflight entertainment system, HD seatback TVs and in-seat power outlets with USB ports.
The free wireless internet service will provide gate-to-gate connectivity that passengers can use to access the web on their personal devices during takeoff and landing to surf online or post on social media, or to connect to The Hub, Jetblue’s content portal that allows them to access and stream content from Amazon Video even before they takeoff.
Jetblue will be the first domestic airline in the United States to connect its seatback TVs with the aircraft’s Wi-Fi connection for passenger use. The new inflight entertainment system is based on Android and provides features like live content streaming, audio and video on demand as well as personal device pairing for more entertainment options.
Aside from streaming content, the airline is also going to expand the number of DirecTV channels from 36 to 100 with the capability to offer more than 300 on demand films and other content that’s stored locally on the aircraft. Passengers will view the content on a new 10 inch HD touchscreen.
The A320s get new seats as well that provide additional legroom in coach, Jetblue claims that this is the widest seat available for a narrow body aircraft, the seats also feature moveable headrests that slip up and down and wrap around.
Jetblue will begin retrofitting its A320 fleet early next year and is targeting completion by 2019.