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Is there any secondary or reuse market for the first class and business class seats ( or pods) from the aircraft that fly international flights. What will happen to those first class and business class cabin elements? I am specifically looking for information on pricing, brokerage contact information, and other relevant information regarding the resale/reuse process. Please look at Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, EVA Air, ANA All Nippon Airways, Finnair.
Hello and thank you for your question in regards to the secondary market for the first class and business class seats or pods from aircrafts that fly international flights and what happens to them. In short after extensive search through airline websites, media sites, news articles, and company reports, I have determined that the information requested is not publicly available specific to the airlines listed. One reason why could be that most of the focus on what happens to aircraft parts is placed on the machinery aspect of it, although it appears that more attention will be given to materials such as seats over the next few years as environmental awareness continues to grow. I was, however, able to find that Finnair partnered with Globe Hope to turn their seat belts into toiletry bags. Additionally, there are a number of other brands that use recycled airplane seat material to create their bag products. Please see below for a deeper dive of my research and methodology.
METHODOLOGY
Following an extensive search, I was unable to find information on the secondary market for the first and business class seats nor find data on what happens to them in regards to Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Virgin, Japan Airlines, Eva Air, Ana All Nippon Airways, or Finnair. I first began by searching on each airline's website for their environmental contributions. Next, I looked at media and news articles to try to find any reporting of these airlines' disposal of old seats. I have also looked at industry reports to determine this information with no luck. Unfortunately, the only information available on the topic was general and did not specify what these airlines do to their first and business class seats.
I searched through various sources including CNN News, SD Aviation, each airline's website, Consumerist Magazine, The Telegraph, FlexPort, Forbes, the International Air Transport Association, The Independent, and PR News Wire. Nevertheless, the little information found in direct relation to seats was not specific to the airlines requested nor to business or first class seats/pods.
HELPFUL FINDINGS
While I could not find information that directly answers the question, I was able to gather some information that may be helpful to your project. One of which is that as more emphasis is placed on being eco-friendly and recycling, many airlines are choosing to recycle their older seats to save costs and do their part towards the environment. These materials are shredded to be recycled.
One aspect in which seats are recycled, including first and business class seats, are through using the material to create bags. One company that does so is Plane, the luxury bag brand. It uses old airplane seat's recycled materials as a base for its bags. The brand builds its image on the source of its fabrics by indicating on each product the distance travelled and the countries the material has passed through as part of each piece's background. Their lineup of products include briefcases, backpacks, duffle bags, as well as tablet and smartphone sleeves.
Others include Finnair partnering with Globe Hope, a Finnish sustainable bag company, to turn their old seat belts into toiletry bags. Additionally, Delta Airlines have partnered with SkyBags to use their old seats material to create a collection of bags, totes, and wallets.
POSSIBLE CONTINUED RESEARCH
In understanding what types of information are and are not publicly available on aircraft's secondary market of first and business class seats, I’ve suggested a few other routes that you may be interested in researching:
--Given that information specific to first and business class seats specific to these airlines are not available, it may be helpful to relax the criteria to include any airline and focusing it on what happens to various parts of the aircraft.
--It may be helpful to look into all possible aircraft parts that are recycled into consumer products such as seat belts, life jackets, and old uniforms.
--It may also be helpful to look at what companies use recycled aircraft seat material to create consumer products.
CONCLUSION
To summarize, after searching extensively through airline websites, media sites, news articles, and company reports, I have determined that the information requested is not publicly available specific to the airlines listed. This is likely due to having the focus placed on what happens to aircraft machinery. However, I was, able to find that Finnair partnered with Globe Hope to turn their seat belts into toiletry bags. Additionally, there are a number of other brands that use recycled airplane seat material to create their bag products. If you’d like to continue research on any of the other topics I’ve outlined above, just let us know!
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