Southwest’s Green Plane

by Sally Painter on November 01, 2009

It looks like airlines are getting on board by going green. Southwest Airlines released an announcement that it’ll soon have a green plane.

The plane selected for this first conversion is the WN222, a four-year-old 737-700. According to Southwest, it will be a flying laboratory where green products will be used and tested, then evaluated for durability, customer comfort and cost-effectiveness. It will be the only plane used for this green testing.

Southwest’s Green Plane will be tested under routine service and you’ll be able to distinguish the plane because it’ll bear a green nose decal. Flight attendants will alert customers that they are traveling on the green plane and buck slips will be placed in the back of the seats in the seat pockets. Other notifications will include statements such as “Did you know” appearing in places like the overhead bins.

The choice green interior products will be eco-friendly and include:

• Foam Fill: For back of seats are also lighter weight.
• Life Vests will save 1 lb per passenger. These will provide more room under the seats for carryons.
• New Carpeting: Carpet squares can be individually replaced and are recyclable.
• Recycling and Waste Recovery will be practiced
• Seat Covers: New seat covers will be made from material that’s more durable than leather and saves 2 lbs per seat.
• Water Conservation will be implemented

If Southwest Airline’s Green Plane tests prove successful, it could easily become the new model for all airlines.

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