How Old, Nasty Airplane Seats Are Given A Second Life

A commercial plane typically flies multiple times a day, thousands of times a year, for several years before updating the interior. According to AeroDynamic Advisory and Tronos Aviation Consulting, the aircraft interiors was a 6.5 billion dollar business in 2022. The total seat market was $2.9 billion dollars, with new seats at $933 million and retrofitted seats at $1.39 billion. It projects the total interiors market to reach $8 billion by 2027. Seats are a crucial part of an airline's business. A typical narrowbody jet like a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 has as many as 180 seats. And replacing them with brand new seats can be expensive. A more complicated seat with in-flight entertainment screen, power outlets, recline mechanisms is more costly. Many airlines chose to refurbish or refresh the seats by stripping down the ones they already have in service or acquired from another airline or leasing company. An airline may choose to refurbish seats versus replacing them based on a few factors which include age of aircraft, age of the actual seats and cost. CNBC visited Latitude Aero, a refurbishment company in Greensboro, North Carolina, to see what goes into giving airplane seats a second life. The company specializes in commercial aircraft seating. A small company compared to the bigger seat manufacturers like Collins Aerospace and Zodiac Aerospace but the business has been growing nonetheless. Produced, Shot and Edited by: Erin Black Additional Camera and Drone: Shawn Baldwin Animation by: Alex Wood Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt