Expliseat’s TiSeat 2X, soon to be flying on two US airlines
The Expliseat TiSeat 2X will soon be flying on regional affiliates for two US airlines, marking the company’s first customers in the US market. The deals include a CRJ retrofit program and Expliseat’s first line-fit installation on Embraer E-Jets.
This seat is uniquely suited to the U.S. market, evolving toward higher expectations in both efficiency and passenger experience. These agreements illustrate how lightweight seating is becoming a structural component of that transformation, enabling airlines to improve operating economics while aligning regional cabins with medium and long haul network standards. –
Jean-François Tessier, VP Sales North America, Expliseat
Separately, the company also confirmed a deal to place its TiSeat 2V Prime model with “a leading legacy carrier and Skytrax 5-star airline.”
Expliseat declined to name the partner airlines nor the number of aircraft in each program. It did, however, share that the total number of new aircraft contracted, along with the extension of other programs, “doubled the supplier’s order backlog, now representing seat programs across more than 200 aircraft.”
The weight savings from the seats is relatively easy to document. The comfort is harder to measure. Passenger reviews are mixed, depending on the airline and route. But most passengers will offer complaints, not compliments, so that’s never a sure thing.
Guessing at Customers
On the CRJ retrofit program, American Airlines is doing some work there, and United Airlines* recently announced its CRJ450 program that will see a significant number of interiors updated. Delta also has a substantial CRJ fleet, though no clear indications it expects to retrofit them, other than the CRJ550 program already underway. Changing suppliers part way through is possible, but seems unlikely at this stage.
For the Embraer line-fit program a couple airline possibilities arise. American Airlines holds the largest open order position. SkyWest and Republic hold significant positions in the Embraer backlog, but the mainline airline ultimately chooses the seats fitted.
Some of the Expliseat Ti2 shipsets before headed to Jazeera Air for installation
Avelo also holds orders for 50 E195-E2 E-Jets. Whether it would be considered a “major” US airline for this announcement is debatable; by most metrics it would not qualify.
In each of these cases the number of planes theoretically involved seems to be larger than the backlog growth. It is, however, entirely reasonable that an airline selected the seats for a subset of aircraft to evaluate the performance and passenger feedback prior to an expanded program.
Expliseat as flying on Air Canada include a small tray and a PED holder (image via Air Canada)
In Asia, the deal calls for installation of the TiSeat 2V rather than the 2X in the United States. The 2V model is developed for the turboprop market and there aren’t many 5-star airlines operating those aircraft. ANA and Japan Airlines both have affiliates operating props and are 5-star airlines making them the most likely candidates.
For all three programs the seats are planned to be assembled at the company’s manufacturing facility in Angers, France. After securing orders from Air Canada and Porter Air, Expliseat suggested a North American facility might be in the cards. That remains in consideration, according to executives; no final decision has been made one way or the other. It hinges in large part on expansion of customer commitments in the region, allowing for operational efficiencies and long-term growth.
* When reporting on the company last year I noted that United Express was a named Expliseat customer. I have no idea if that was news that slipped out in advance or was erroneous, but based on the company stating these are the first confirmed US contracts, something seems a bit amiss there. Or it was a tip that I didn’t pick up at the time.
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Seth Miller has over a decade of experience covering the airline industry. With a strong focus on passenger experience, Seth also has deep knowledge of inflight connectivity and loyalty programs. He is widely respected as an unbiased commentator on the aviation industry.
He is frequently consulted on innovations in passenger experience by airlines and technology providers.
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