Airlines overhaul interiors of decades‑old aircraft to boost passenger experience

U.S. airlines are spending heavily on cabin upgrades for aircraft that are often 30‑45 years old. United Airlines has refitted its Boeing 767 fleet, originally delivered in the early 1990s, with the latest seats, sidewalls and inflight entertainment to keep passengers unaware of the planes’ age. American Airlines’ chief commercial officer Nathaniel Pieper emphasized the durability of aircraft structures, noting that modern interiors can mask the underlying hull’s age.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has also flagged a safety issue, requiring inspections of seats on hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX jets registered in the United States after concerns about possible incorrect installation. Meanwhile, a separate development in Italy saw the Supreme Court overturn 2024 restrictions on citizenship by descent, allowing millions of descendants, such as Venezuelan‑born Gustavo Monasterios, to obtain Italian citizenship and reunite families split by the previous law.