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While premium cabins are glamorous and attract all the attention in the aviation industry, most passengers travel in the economy cabin. Here, it’s a game of inches, measuring small variations in seat pitch, shoulder space, and screen size to determine the most comfortable way to fly long distances on a realistic budget. Some airlines are generous with these measurements, giving passengers ample space to stretch on long-haul flights. Asian airlines, in particular, are well known for the quality of their onboard product in all classes.
The transatlantic market, however, is more uniform, with airlines operating transatlantic flights offering virtually the same experience in economy with little variation. The Atlantic Ocean is one of the most traveled corridors in the world, with most passengers traveling between North America and Europe, but also between South America and Europe, as well as from the Americas to Africa and the Middle East. Although most airlines are virtually the same in economy, there are a few gems in this market to seek out.
5
The Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
Wide Seats And Extra Legroom, Limited Availability
Singapore Airlines is routinely ranked as one of, if not the world’s best airline, and it also offers an elevated experience in economy, in addition to its excellent premium cabins. Singapore Airlines may seem out of place on this ranking, as it is an Asian carrier. However, Singapore Airlines operates a daily fifth freedom route from Singapore Changi Airport to New York-JFK via Frankfurt Airport. This is a proper fifth freedom route, as Singapore Airlines sells tickets for the entire route, as well as for the individual sectors.
Singapore Airlines currently operates a Boeing 777-300ER on this route, although it previously flew the Airbus A380. In this case, however, the 777-300ER isn’t necessarily a downgrade. Singapore Airlines configures its Boeing 777-300ERs with only nine seats per row in economy, which translates to wider seats and wider aisles. Data from aeroLOPA shows that Singapore Airlines installs the Safran Z400, with 18 inches (45.72 centimeters) of seat width and 32 inches (81.28 centimeters) of legroom.
These seats feature six-way adjustable headrests, five inches (12.7 centimeters) of recline, and an 11.1-inch (28.194 centimeters) touch screen. This is one of the most spacious economy seats that you’ll find on any transatlantic routes, and it comes with Singapore Airlines’ excellent onboard service too. However, this seat’s ranking is lowered due to its limited availability on the transatlantic market, as Singapore Airlines only operates one route between North America and Europe.
4
The Turkish Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
The Rare Nine-Abreast Boeing 777
Although most of Türkiye is located in Asia, 
Turkish Airlines’ primary hub in Istanbul Airport is located in the European part of Istanbul, and Turkish Airlines is generally considered to be a European airline. While the economy seats on most of its widebody aircraft are fairly standard, the carrier’s Boeing 777-300ER fleet features nine seats per row in economy. This makes Turkish Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs some of the most spacious widebodies in the world for economy passengers, even if legroom on these planes is only average.
The Boeing 777 was originally designed for nine-abreast seating with economy, but with seats roughly 18.5 inches (46.99 centimeters) wide, significantly more than the standard 17 to 18 inches (43.18 to 45.72 centimeters). The 777’s cabin ended up being wide enough for airlines to install ten seats per row in economy to achieve significantly lower per-seat costs, but at the expense of seat width. Ten-abreast Boeing 777s are some of the tightest widebodies in service today for economy passengers, not just due to the narrow seats, but also the narrow aisles.
|
Aircraft |
Economy Seat Arrangement Per Row |
|---|---|
|
Airbus A330/A330neo |
Eight-abreast 2-4-2 Nine-abreast 3-3-3 (low-cost-carrier only) |
|
Airbus A340 |
Eight-abreast 2-4-2 Nine-abreast 3-3-3 (low-cost-carrier only) |
|
Airbus A350 XWB |
Nine-abreast 3-3-3 Ten-abreast 3-4-3 (low-cost-carrier only) |
|
Airbus A380 |
Ten-abreast 3-4-3 (lower deck) Eight-abreast 2-4-2 (upper deck) |
|
Boeing 747 |
Ten-abreast 3-4-3 (lower deck) Six-abreast 3-3 (upper deck) |
|
Boeing 767 |
Seven-abreast 2-3-2 Eight-abreast 2-4-2 (low-cost-carrier only) |
|
Boeing 777 |
Nine-abreast 2-5-2 (original) Nine-abreast 3-3-3 Ten-abreast 3-4-3 (standard) |
|
Boeing 777X |
Ten-abreast 3-4-3 |
|
Boeing 787 Dreamliner |
Eight-abreast 2-4-2 (original) Nine-abreast 3-3-3 (standard) |
Data from aeroLOPA shows that Turkish Airlines installs 18-inch (45.72 centimeter) wide seats on some of its 777-300ERs equipped with the Safran Z300 or TCI Skysofa, but this does increase aisle width. Meanwhile, the majority of its 777-300ER fleet features the older Safran 5751, which comes with 18.5 inches (46.99 centimeters) of seat width. These planes also operate many of Turkish Airlines’ routes to North America, meaning that you have a high chance of traveling on these aircraft.
3
The Emirates Airbus A380-800
The Famous Airbus A380, Available On Many Routes Across The Atlantic
Emirates is one of the world’s most famous airlines, but there is a big disparity between the onboard experience offered on its Boeing 777-300ERs and its Airbus A380s. While both aircraft feature an economy seat pitch of 32 inches (81.28 centimeters), the 777s feature a ten-abreast layout in economy, which is incredibly tight, while the Airbus A380 is renowned for its cabin width. In addition, the A380 has an exceptionally high ceiling height and is known for being the quietest airliner in service.
Fortunately, 
Emirates deploys the Airbus A380 on many of its nonstop routes to North America, and the A380 is also used on the carrier’s one-stop services from Dubai to New York-JFK via Milan. In other words, this product is highly available, unlike Singapore Airlines, with its single transatlantic service. Emirates operates several different configurations for its Airbus A380 fleet, and installs multiple different generations of Safran economy seats, with newer aircraft featuring newer seats.
The latest A380s feature the Safran Z400. Data from aeroLOPA shows that Emirates’ Safran Z400 seats on the A380 not only include 32 inches (81.28 centimeters) of legroom, but they also feature a 13.3-inch (33.782 centimeter) touchscreen display, the largest of any economy seat in the world. In addition, the Safran Z400 seats feature a four-way adjustable headrest, four inches (10.16 centimeters) of recline, while passengers can charge devices with USB-A or USB-C ports.
The Most Spacious Premium Economy Seats In The US Today
All three major airlines in the US offer competitive premium economy products.
2
The JetBlue Airbus A321LR
The Airline Famous For Its Excellent Legroom
JetBlue is famous within the United States for its exceptional legroom, with older aircraft featuring 34 inches (86.36 centimeters) of legroom. JetBlue’s newer aircraft feature a slightly lower seat pitch, although this is partially offset by the slimmer design of newer economy seats. Data from aeroLOPA shows that JetBlue installs its economy seats on the Airbus A220-300, refurbished A320-200, A321-200 with Mint, A321neo, and A321LR with 32 inches (81.28 centimeters) of legroom.
The Long Island City-based carrier serves nine European airports using its Airbus A321LR fleet, with routes originating from either Boston Logan International Airport or New York John F Kennedy International Airport. JetBlue installs the Collins Aerospace Meridian, featuring a four-way adjustable headrest, a 10.1-inch (25.654 centimeter) touchscreen display, and multiple types of charging points. Furthermore, JetBlue also offers its “Even More Space” extra legroom seating option, with 35 inches (88.9 centimeters) of legroom.
While extra legroom seating options are a standard product within the US, it’s less common in other markets, even in Europe. When considering the availability of Even More Space, JetBlue’s economy seats offer the most amount of legroom out of any airline operating transatlantic routes. In addition, the Airbus A321LR is installed with 18-inch (45.72 centimeter) wide seats. Furthermore, the single-aisle design of the Airbus A321LR may feel less crowded for some passengers than a widebody.
Significantly More Legroom For A Surcharge
As a whole, there’s little variation between airlines on transatlantic routes in regards to economy seat dimensions and amenities. However, the best way to travel across the Atlantic in economy class is to select extra legroom seats. Traditionally, this meant exit row seats, but airlines are now creating large sections of economy seats with extra legroom. While these seats typically cost extra, the price premium is far less than upgrading to premium economy or business class.
US airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, and United Airlines, were among the first to create dedicated extra-legroom economy sections, branded as Main Cabin Extra, Comfort+ (now Delta Comfort), Even More Space, and Economy Plus, respectively. To date, they are the carriers that most consistently offer large sections of extra legroom seats. JetBlue’s Even More Space tends to feature the most amount of legroom, but the legacy carriers still offer 34 inches (86.36 centimeters) of legroom.
Dedicated extra legroom seating is now being implemented by some European carriers, including Virgin Atlantic with its Economy Delight seats, and KLM with its Economy Comfort seats. It’s a lucrative product that’s increasingly popular with passengers, and it represents an excellent value, since a lack of legroom is one of the most common complaints that passengers have about modern air travel. These seats can be especially spacious on Airbus widebodies or Boeing 767s, which tend to feature wider economy seats than a ten-abreast Boeing 777 or a Boeing 787.
