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Flashback Fridays: Interior Photos From The Archive Vault

blusk
Aviator C

First a bit of housekeeping:  Regular Nuts About Southwest readers will know that I posted some photos last Friday from our archives.  We are planning to make this a regular feature, and we are going to call these posts “Flashback Fridays” and tag them accordingly.

 

 

This week, I got the shovel out again to dig in the archives. I found some interesting photos that look at the aircraft feature that airline passengers are most familiar with—the cabin.  These photos are a quick guide to the evolution of our cabins, and they take us up to the introduction of our current Spirit interiors with all-leather seats.  The first photo below is the interior of one of our earliest 737s, and this photo dates from the early 1970s.  Note the open racks and the PSUs (Passenger Service Units) with the reading lights and air nozzles.  Overhead racks like this had been a feature of every airliner going back to the DC-3, and only blankets, pillows, and coats could be stowed there.  Any carryon bags had to be stowed under the seats.  We see the Aircraft Cleaners placing the paper headrests on the backs of each seats.  Until looking at the photo, I had forgotten that the paper headrest was a feature of almost all coach cabins in the 1970s.  They became crushed and wrinkled after only a few minutes of use.  The bright colors of the seats are also typical of this era.

Next we have a slightly newer interior that dates from the mid to late-1970s.  With the introduction of the 747, aircraft began to have enclosed overheads with doors.  This style of interior was called the "wide-body" look.  The PSUs have been placed flush with the bottom of the overheads, and the bins now follow the contour of the ceilings instead of being just racks.  The enclosed bins allowed hard items to be placed above the seats, but the small size of the compartments limited these items to a briefcase size.  We still have the mutli-colored upholstery and paper headrests in this view.

Many of you will recognize the next picture as our standard furnishings prior to the introduction of the all-leather Spirit interiors a few years ago.  Several differences with the earlier photos are obvious.  The overheads now have compartments that will handle larger carryons, although the “swap-off” when compared to the wide-body look interiors, is that there is less standing room at the seats.  The paper headrests are now history, and the seating in the cabin presents a uniform appearance.

And finally, we have our current Spirit interior that provides a bright open cabin.  Paper headrests are just a memory with the all-leather seats.  What's next in cabin interiors?  Check this out.

 

8 Comments
Marc11
Explorer C
Do you have any pix of the old "party" seats at the front of the AC? I used to love sitting in those if I wanted to be social. It's amazing what the dynamic of facing someone does to spur social interactions.
blusk
Aviator C
Marc, Check out the second photo, which has the beginning of our lounge seating. Check out the rear-facing seats on the right side bulkhead. Brian
Anonymous3520
Explorer B
Hi Brian, I luv this idea. As a fairly new employee I really enjoy seeing all these old pictures of the company history and I'm also glad that I missed out on having to wear those ugly orange jumpsuits that the AAT's have on in the first picture.
just_to_say
Explorer C
I really enjoy how you have pictorially depicted where Southwest came from and where it is going in the future. It's exciting to see that Southwest is taking actives steps to make 'green' planes. I was browsing online news and I came across this article about a new type of engine that will reduce CO2 emissions by steering aircraft out of the runway by remote control - which means less idle engine time for every flight! The article says Delta is testing it, so maybe it's something Southwest can use too. :) http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article1652587.ece
Walt_Hill
Explorer C
I enjoyed the "party seats" too, even though I usually had to ride backwards. 🙂 I missed them when they left us, but I do like that relatively large legroom area on the front row. When I get a seat there. Walt
Mark_Combs
Explorer C
I liked the party seats too, had many interesting interactions there. I also remember that in late afternoon on a hot summer day, passengers would typically be met at the door with a complimentary ice cold Coors!
Marie_Force
Explorer C
Enjoyed these cabin views, Brian. I'll be sure to check out your posts on Fridays!
blusk
Aviator C
Thanks Marie, Coming from you, I consider that a great compliment. Brian