Long-haul flights can be a rough prospect, especially without the additional comforts offered to business and first class passengers. Whilst such flat beds in those cabins certainly dampen the blow of spending hours on end in the air, upgrades are not cheap, and sometimes economy will just have to do. So, if you are looking to get the most for your money in economy, reading up on the space offered to passengers is a solid start.

Legroom is a big factor. However, does it matter if you are crammed into an economy seat like a sardine, unable to move at all from side to side? Indeed, seat width is vital to consider when trying to find the most comfortable economy seats available. Luckily, some airlines excel at offering economy passengers a decent amount of room, meaning comfort does not always have to come at a cost when flying.

Eighteen-Plus Inches A Good Place To Start

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Generally, any economy seats measuring in excess of 18 inches in width are a good find. Whilst the amount of space on offer varies, not just between airlines, but also on an aircraft-by-aircraft basis, 18-plus inches offers a benchmark when seeking out the widest seats on offer.

In terms of airlines, several consistently offer ample room in economy. Singapore Airlines, JetBlue, and Japan Airlines are among those that fall into this category, for instance. All regularly beat the global average economy seat width, which is between 17 and 17.5 inches. Others with industry-leading space for economy passengers include the likes of SWISS, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific.

That said, seat width and legroom do vary between aircraft types, with Swiss offering as much as 18.1 inches of width within economy, but only on its newly refurbished A350-900s. Emirates’ most spacious economy seats are generally featured within its A380s, whereas it is the A350-1000 where Cathay appears to house its strongest offering for those in standard seats.

Singapore, Swiss, And Delta Among Best In Class

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Breaking down the figures, Singapore offers one of the best economy seats in terms of width. On its A380, the 18.5 inches of width granted to economy passengers does indeed trump rivals by a fair margin in many cases. Coupled with up to 32 inches of legroom, also known as seat pitch, Singapore’s A380 economy seats are some of the most spacious on the market. That said, better seat pitch can be found, but at the cost of a narrower seat.

Swiss and Delta are among others to offer seat widths above the 18-inch mark, namely on their Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 767-400ER aircraft. For the former, the best economy seats in its fleet are only on refurbished models of the A350, where the airline has introduced its new Swiss Senses cabins. These also boast unmatched seat pitches of up to 38.5 inches – far ahead of the legroom offered by a string of rivals.

Examples of spacious economy seats across select airlines:

Others offering around 18 inches of width include JetBlue, Japan Airlines, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific. So, whether it is flights around Asia, across the Pacific, within Europe, or the Americas, options for some of the roomiest seats within the cheapest category are plentiful.

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Focus On Singapore’s A380 Economy Seats

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As is often the case when flying, bagging a seat on a newly refurbished aircraft will usually make for a more comfortable experience. Singapore is no exception, having undertaken a retrofitting program on its A380-800 fleet from late 2018. Following four years of development and some $850 million in investment, economy passengers can now look forward to reaping the benefits.

Following the upgrades, Singapore’s A380s have been left with 471 seats across four classes. These include six suite options at the luxury end, alongside room for 78 people in business class, all on the aircraft’s upper deck. Downstairs, passengers will find 44 premium economy seats, along with 343 economy class seats. In the latter, seats are laid out in a 3-4-3 configuration.

As per a review by Business Traveller’s Craig Bright, increased capacity in the A380s’ economy cabins following the upgrades did not take away from passenger space, rather it utilized thinner seats with perks such as a six-way adjustable headrest. “While the pitch may not be any different on paper compared to its predecessors,” he wrote of a flight from Sydney to Singapore, “the seats feel spacious and the smart addition of new – sometimes hidden – features makes it easy to maximize the space you have without it becoming crowded”.

Other Factors To Consider

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Of course, the airlines listed above by no means represent the entire industry as it continuously develops. Passengers could nitpick the pros and cons of any flight based on factors like the age of the aircraft, service aboard, or even in-flight entertainment.

Cathay, despite being well off the top for space in the example above, was voted the best for economy class travel by Skytrax last year, ahead of Qatar and Singapore. Its A350-1000s feature 334 seats, with 256 in economy class in a 3-3-3 configuration. These themselves offer up to six inches of recline and are another factor for passengers to consider upon choosing who to fly with.

Upon receiving the award, Cathay flagged menus designed through a Michelin-star restaurant partnership, and plans to introduce WiFi across all classes, as well as its inflight entertainment, for which the airline also won an award from Skytrax. All this goes to say that space is just one of many benefits passengers have to consider before picking an airline, with aircraft type also often key when it comes to the experience of flying economy.

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Is It Worth Upgrading to Premium Economy?

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Though several airlines are competitive with the space they offer to economy passengers, the lower price paid naturally yields comfort at the lower end of the spectrum. This is where premium economy comes in, aimed at boasting additional comforts but without the hefty price tag associated with business class travel.

On average, premium economy seats are between 18.5 inches and 20 inches wide, trumping the very best of the standard seats across the board. As always, even roomier seats can be found, such as at Virgin Atlantic, where seats measure up to 21 inches wide in premium economy. But, as a rule, premium economy is a far better option across the board for flyers complacent about space.

Take Singapore, whilst its economy passengers already enjoy 18.5 inches of seat width, those in premium economy get 19.5 inches. Note that the difference appears marginal, but that is built on an already wide seat. Those upgrading also enjoy an additional six inches of seat pitch. Of course, though, that extra room comes at a cost, so it is really up to the passenger whether the higher price is worth the additional room. For Singapore, a 13-hour flight from London to the city state aboard an A380-800 for mid-April 2026 was listed as low as £380.79 ($509.86) in economy class. For the same flight, premium economy tickets started at £1,533.79 ($2053.68). Needless to say, upgrading can be an expensive game.

Comfort Can Mean More Than Just Space

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Realistically, most do not have the luxury of being able to fork out for upgrades, so making do with economy is a necessity. It is far from all bad, though, and airlines are constantly looking to trump one another with small perks like baggage allowances and seat selections, to full-on cabin upgrades or even newer aircraft.

With that in mind, seat width and pitch, however important, are just one consideration. Whilst additional space makes for an element of comfort, flying aboard a newer generation aircraft that boasts higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, and is quieter will no doubt make for a more pleasant journey. Just look at Airbus’ A350, as flown by Swiss, Japan, and Cathay listed above, against Boeing’s 767-400ER, operated in this instance by Delta. Passengers on the former will typically enjoy a cabin altitude of 6,000, compared to 7,000 on the latter. Whilst it may not sound like a lot, frequent fliers will vouch for the comfort of the newer option every time.