Seat weights
 

I an doing a project on seat weights. Can anyone give me a steer to where I could find out how much an average 737 seat weighs? Secondly, how I would start to calculate how much fuel saving there would be for each kilo saved if a lighter version could be made. I hope someone out there can enlighten me...

Cant help you myself, but our brand new 737NG's have thinner lighter seats, so its obviously worth doing. Try Boeing direct, they may just reply and give you the figures. :ok:

B737-800W burns about 25 kg of fuel per hour per extra 1000 kg.

Ryanair went from cloth seats to leather seats, which don't recline any longer (and probably have a lighter frame as a result of that).

This resulted in a weight increase of 500 kg for an aircraft so fitted out.

500 kg extra means about 12 kg of fuel extra per flight hour.

However, this is offset by lower cleaning and maintenance costs. Leather can just be wiped clean, cloth seats need deep cleaning if somebody is sick.

Knowing Ryanair, they have carefully calculated the effect of the higher weight and decided that it is paid for by lower running costs.

Weight alone is not the decisive factor in these matters. 'Cost of ownership' or whatever you want to call it is.

Yeah, for example cloth seats will need replacing every 3+ years whereas leather will last 5+.....

A weight INCREASE of 500kg? thats 2.6kg per seat AFTER parts have been removed for the reclining. Those cow must be really thick skinned!!:}:} Bit like their eventual owner I suppose!!!:E:E:E

I am more interested in the frame that the cushions or leather sit on. I imagine it is generally an aluminium structure, and I was wondering what the starting weight for that was irrespective of the covering.
Thanks very much for the fuel vs weight sum by the way:D.