High-flying Fashion: Alaska Airlines Upcycles Seats Into Travel Accessories

It’s a challenge for airlines to create a sustainable image when their very lifeblood contributes enormous amounts of jet fuel to the environment. But Alaska Airlines is thinking out of the box—and seat—when it comes to sustainability by embracing upcycling.

When the carrier re-upholstered 6,000 seats on its Boeing 737-800 and 737-900 planes with Recaro seats fitted with power outlets in every seat, it took all that leather or synthetic material, estimated at 18,000 pounds, and gave it away to be upcycled. Distributed to 11 organizations, ranging from a prison to the Boy Scouts, several creative designers turned the former seats into upscale fashion collections.