Hawaiian Airlines introduces new interior cabin design for interisland aircraft

 (Hawaiian Airlines)

A new look and more seats will be found inside some of the Boeing 717 interisland aircraft used by Hawaiian Airlines, which said Thursday that it has retrofitted 18 aircraft with an island-inspired cabin redesign.

Hawaiian Airlines, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, said it has retrofitted the main cabins of the 18 planes with new lightweight main cabin seating from Acro Aircraft Seating Ltd. The airline expects to reconfigure the interior of its entire interisland fleet by the end of 2015. The cost was not disclosed.

(Hawaiian Airlines)

The retrofit will bring one configuration to its interisland fleet, which currently has five different cabin configurations. An identical galley, lavatory and seat configuration will provide a consistent onboard experience for travelers and decrease the airline's operational complexity.

Prior configurations had either 118 or 123 seats, while the new configuration will have 128 seats with the same amount of personal space for passengers.

The new seatbacks offer a tablet table machine from solid aluminum, sized and designed for beverage service and the use of a tablet device.

In addition, seats in first class will have new seat covers and leather arm caps. There also will be new carpeting, galley flooring and curtains, and some aircraft will receive new forward windows.

(Hawaiian Airlines)

"These new, modern design elements rejuvenate the interiors of our Boeing 717s while allowing us to deliver a consistent onboard experience for our guests," Peter Ingram, chief commercial officer for Hawaiian Airlines, said in a statement. "The new lightweight seats are engineered to ensure a maximum amount of personal space without compromising legroom or comfort."

(Jason Ubay - Pacific Business News)