Budget carrier Tigerair Australia plans to add another six seats to its Boeing 737-800 aircraft but says the introduction of new slimline product means passengers will not lose precious legroom.
The airline has also inked a deal with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Fox Networks Group to sell the latest movies and TV shows on board.
Passengers will be able to stream the movies on their own devices via an app linked to a wi-fi inflight entertainment system from ViaSat.
The deal would see would movies updated in line with Twentieth Century Fox Film theatrical release dates, giving Tigerair passengers first chance to see movies at $A6 a pop. TV shows will cost $A2 while destination-based content and music will be available through the system free.
The timing of a movie or show will be part of the synopsis so people can chose content that matches their flight times.
On the seating front, the Virgin Australia subsidiary plans to introduce the new Rockwell Collins Interior System product across its fleet of Boeing 737s by March, 2018.
Tigerair is gradually transitioning to the Boeing aircraft from its fleet of Airbus A320s and will have four by B737s by March.
The new product will see seat numbers on the 737s rise from 180 to 186, with the new seats added to the back of the aircraft.
But the airline said there would be no impact on passenger and crew space and comfort “with seat pitch/legroom, toilet size and galley size all remaining the same”.
“The planned partnership with Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Networks Group open up a new world of entertainment for our customers, whilst our new leather, slimline seats will in my view, provide the most comfortable low-cost economy seats in the sky,’’ Tigerair commercial director Andrew Maister said in the announcement.
“These products complement each other really well, enabling our customers to enjoy a meal/drink and superior entertainment product inflight more comfortably than ever before.”
