Photo Courtesy: Looptworks/Southwest Project LUV Seat.

It’s a well known fact that #Avgeeks can develop rather…strange collections over time. Some collect models of the airplanes they live on. Others like to collect relics from past flights. But how about capturing a piece of an airline seat? No, I’m not talking about buying airline seats (as if you would really want to  sit in one at home). I’m talking about owning a repurposed piece of an aircraft that can serve you on future flights.

Enter the Southwest Project LUV Seat

I was first introduced to the Southwest Project LUV Seat from an article in the Washington Post. The project, run by Portland’s own Looptworks, sounded very intriguing. The manufacturer strips down the leather from discarded Southwest Airlines seats. and turns them into what are (in my humble opinion) fashionable luggage pieces. In addition to the advantages of recycling the leather touted by the company (including the lower carbon footprint of using recycled leather and employing disabled adults to remove the leather), the bags themselves are rather…chic (if I may say so myself).

The designs of each bag works well with the color scheme of the former seats, and are designed in a way to be fashion-forward. It’s interesting to consider that I may have sat on one of these seats sometime in the past before it became luggage – not to mention the hundreds of thousands of other tourists who might have sat in one as well.

As with many airplane souvenirs, owning this piece of Southwest Airlines history comes with a price. The bags run from $150 to $250, depending on the design. Despite the high cost, the price point is in line with other luggage manufacturers – except their luggage was probably made with new materials, not recycled ones. Plus, there is a premium that Southwest fans are paying for buying a piece of an aircraft.

LUV the Luggage? Or Hate the Pricetag?

While the luggage comes with a price, it definitely seems like a functional piece of airplane history that every #avgeek can appreciate. At $225 for the duffel, it seems like a small price to pay for something that will serve travelers for years to come – and much more functional than, say, other things we may collect from airplanes. And everyone loves luggage that comes with a story!

Would you pay $150 for luggage re-purposed from a Southwest Airlines seat? Or is it too much to pay for…well, seat leather? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!