Hawaiian unveils new A321neo cabin

Hawaiian Airlines has unveiled a new cabin for the trans-oceanic Airbus A321neo aircraft that promises to transform its operations. Hawaiian is set to take delivery of 18 of the 4,000-nautical mile range jets by 2020, with the first neo slated for delivery later this year. The three-cabin neos— featuring 16 Premium, 45 Extra Comfort and 128 economy class seats from B/E Aerospace —and will be powered by new fuel-efficient twin Pratt & Whitney PurePower 1133G-JM engines. The longer-range narrowbodies will ply the skies between the islands and the US West Coast. That frees up more of the airline’s widebody A330-200s for high-capacity, deep continental U.S. duties and international flying. Narrowbody Boeing 717-200s will continue to link Honolulu with Hawaiian’s ‘neighbor-island’ markets. Hawaiian’s been on a product improvement roll of late, adding new amenities and aircraft at a relatively rapid rate. UK-based JPA Design is crafting the neo’s interior with an “Earth, Sea and Sky” motif. JPA executive Tim Manson says the cabin “draws inspiration from Hawaii’s rich past and contemporary present. Symbolism from Hawaii’s story is woven throughout the cabin interiors.” Less poetically, all three of the A321neos’ cabins are fitted with high-power USB outlets.  Premium and Extra Comfort passengers have access to an additional AC power outlet. The premium cabin will be fitted with leather recliners while the 45 Extra Comfort seats will offer an extra five inches of leg room, priority boarding and other perks. New for Hawaiian passengers will be wireless streaming inflight entertainment available on personal devices after an application has been downloaded before boarding the aircraft. Passengers will be able to enjoy a wide selection of complimentary movies, TV shows, and Hawaii content available exclusively through the airline’s Hawaiian Skies channel. Holders for personal hand-held devices and tablets will be integrated into the tray tables of the premium cabin, as well as the first row of Extra Comfort, and built into the backrest of all other seats in the aircraft. Lots of Hawaii-bound flyers would rather forget about business for a while. That’s why new pivoting overhead bins come in handy, the better to stow vacation gear.