JetBlue says cabin redesign of its Airbus A320 fleet back on track

The revamped A320 cabin will have seats with two 32 inches between rows, a 2-inch decrease.

JetBlue will soon begin rolling out reconfigured aircraft in its 130-plane Airbus A320 fleet. The remodeled interiors will be both more modern and denser than those presently sported by JetBlue A320s.

Speaking during the carrier’s earnings call Thursday Jan. 25, JetBlue CFO Steve Priest said that the carrier’s first aircraft to be restyled is undergoing modifications now. Reconfiguring all 130 aircraft will take approximately three years and the overhauls will be done in conjunction with each plane’s scheduled heavy maintenance checks.

The remodeled aircraft will hold 162 seats, up from 150. To make room for the extra seats, JetBlue will decrease the space between rows from 34 inches to 32 inches.

However, the new interiors will also offer customer service enhancements. The seats will have in-seat power outlets and USB ports. In-seat televisions will be high-definition and will be larger than JetBlue’s current TVs while offering more channels.

JetBlue originally announced the overhaul two years ago with plans to complete the program by 2019. But its start was delayed due to what Priest called “quality issues of our business partners.”

Each plane takes approximately 30 days to retrofit. Along with its A320 fleet, JetBlue flies 14 of Airbus’ larger A321s.