Traditionally, premium seating on an aircraft meant a larger seat with extra legroom and better food. As time has passed, airlines have split their premium sections into a first and business class cabin, then began adding features such as lie-flat seats, direct aisle access, and privacy partitions or even doors. While some airlines offer an international first class today, this has largely been eclipsed by business class, which is essentially just as good today as first class while being cheaper.

This holds true for widebody airliners today, but the premium cabins on narrowbody aircraft have remained more uniform over time. These planes mainly operate shorter routes where a recliner seat with added space is really all you need, and European airlines are infamous for their short-haul business class being standard economy seats with a blocked middle seat. Today, however, this is changing, as airlines are increasingly installing lie-flat business class seats comparable to or identical to those on widebodies.

General Overview Of Lie-Flats On Narrowbodies

Credit: Shutterstock

The concept of installing lie-flat business class seating on a narrowbody was first implemented on Boeing 757-200s. Despite their small size, these aircraft could operate transatlantic routes where demand for a more sophisticated premium product justified the investment and seats that took up more room. Continental Airlines is the best example, as it installed lie-flats on its 757-200s beginning in 2010, and these same aircraft are now operated by United Airlines today.

As a whole, US airlines pioneered the use of lie-flat business class seats on narrowbodies. In addition to United Airlines, Delta Air Lines offers lie-flats on some of its Boeing 757-200s for premium transcontinental routes. You also have JetBlue and American Airlines flying Airbus A321s with comparable seats for this same purpose. More recently, several airlines in the rest of the world are installing modern lie-flat seats for Airbus A321neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that are used on longer flights.

You’ll typically find the Collins Aerospace Diamond or Thompson Vantage on single-aisle jets, which are also available for widebodies. Meanwhile, several manufacturers are selling new lie-flat products designed specifically for these narrowbodies. They’re typically either a herringbone or reverse herringbone design and differ from widebody seats by having a higher angle towards or away from the aisle. A modern widebody herringbone or reverse herringbone seat would be too long and too narrow to effectively use up the available space on a narrowbody.

Narrowbody Lie-Flats In The Americas

Credit: Shutterstock

As previously mentioned, US carriers were some of the first airlines to install lie-flat seats on narrowbody aircraft. The Boeing 757-200s that formerly flew for Continental are now with United Airlines, and still feature the same Collins Aerospace Diamond seats for Polaris that were first introduced in 2010. In addition, Delta Air Lines flies 12 Boeing 757-200s with the Collins Diamond for DeltaOne. While United uses the 757-200 for transcontinental and transatlantic services, Delta no longer deploys its 757s to Europe.

American Airlines operates 15 Airbus A321-200s with the Collins Diamond for Flagship Business, along with a Flagship First cabin that features the Safran Cirrus II. The carrier is also taking delivery of new Airbus A321XLR aircraft, featuring the Collins Aurora in Flagship Suites, to replace these planes, while also adding new service to Europe. JetBlue, meanwhile, flies a subfleet of Airbus A321-200s with the Thompson Vantage for Mint, and a subfleet of A321neos with the Thompson VantageSOLO. All of its A321LRs also feature the Thompson VantageSOLO.

Delta is planning a subfleet of Airbus A321neos to replace its 757-200s with lie-flat seats. These planes will feature the Safran VUE, but they have been delayed due to certification challenges. United Airlines will also soon begin taking delivery of new Airbus A321neos and A321XLRs to replace the 757-200, which are believed to feature the Elevate Altitude. Outside of the United States, the only carrier to offer lie-flats on a narrowbody in the Americas is Copa Airlines, which uses the Collins Diamond for its Dreams Business Class on the Boeing 737 MAX 9.

Related

The Most Spacious Premium Economy Seats In The US Today

All three major airlines in the US offer competitive premium economy products.

The Situation On The Other Side Of The Atlantic

Credit: Shutterstock

Whereas US carriers sell lie-flats on narrowbodies for transcontinental routes between the nation’s largest cities, European airlines primarily offer these seats only on transatlantic flights. La Compagnie is the most famous airline to do so, as it has long operated all-business class flights between Europe and Newark. The carrier initially used Boeing 757-200s with angled-flat seats, and switched to the Airbus A321neo in 2019. These aircraft feature 76 Collins Aerospace Diamond seats.

ITA Airways operates seven Airbus A321neos. These aircraft feature the Stelia Opera, a direct aisle access reverse herringbone seat. These aircraft mainly fly to Africa and the Middle East, but also operate some intra-European flights. TAP Air Portugal, meanwhile, mainly uses its Airbus A321LR fleet to serve the United States and Canada, but also flies the A321LR to Africa as well as Brazil. While most of its A321LR routes originate out of Lisbon, the carrier also operates a single route from Porto to Newark with the A321LR.

TAP Air Portugal installs the Thompson Vantage for business class. SAS also uses the Thompson Vantage for business class on its three Airbus A321LRs, which operate to the US and Canada. In addition, the Thompson Vantage is also used by Aer Lingus on its Airbus A321LRs, as well as its Airbus A321XLRs (which have an identical layout to the carrier’s A321LRs). Meanwhile, Iberia, the world’s first operator of the Airbus A321XLR, installs the Thompson VantageSOLO.

The Middle East, South Asia, And Central Asia

Credit: Shutterstock

The Middle East is home to some of the world’s best airlines, and as such, it’s not uncommon to see lie-flats on narrowbodies. Qatar Airways is routinely ranked as the world’s best airline, and it operates two Airbus A320-200 subfleets: one with recliner seats and one with the Collins Diamond. Meanwhile, Etihad Airways is taking delivery of new Airbus A321LRs that feature the Stelia Opera, including upgraded front row seats that Etihad sells as first class. In addition, Bahrain-based Gulf Air operates a subfleet of Airbus A321neo aircraft equipped with the Collins Diamond.

flydubai, while technically independent of Emirates, is also owned by the government of Dubai, and the two carriers cooperate closely. As such, all of its Boeing 737-800s and 737 MAX 9s are equipped with the Thompson Vantage, along with some of its Boeing 737 MAX 8s. Meanwhile, Saudia installs the Collins Diamond on some of its Airbus A320-200s.

Air Astana is the only Central Asian airline to install lie-flat seats on a narrowbody, using the Thompson Vantage on its Airbus A321LR. In South Asia, Air India operates a fleet of Airbus A321neos equipped with the Collins Diamond, which were formerly operated by Vistara. Then, you have the region’s most interesting airline. BeOnd. Based in the Maldives, BeOnd operates a single Airbus A319-100 and A321-200, both of which are configured in an all-business class layout with custom four-abreast lie-flat seats.

Related

What It Costs To Fly First Class On The World’s Longest Boeing 737 MAX Routes

Exploring first-class fares: The true cost of extra comfort on extended 737 MAX flights.

East Asian And Southeast Asian Carriers

Credit: Shutterstock

Taiwan is one of the most competitive aviation markets in the world, as its home to three world-class full-service carriers: China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines. All three operate narrowbody aircraft, with China Airlines and Starlux Airlines offering lie-flat seating on their Airbus A321neo fleets. China Airlines installs the Stelia Elysium, a four-abreast lie-flat seat. Meanwhile, Starlux Airlines installs the Collins Diamond. EVA Air does not offer lie-flats on any of its narrowbody aircraft, although it will begin taking delivery of new A321neos beginning in 2029 that should have upgraded interiors.

Korean Air installs the Collins Diamond on every one of its Airbus A321neos, but it is the only other East Asian carrier that offers lie-flats on narrowbodies. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, Philippine Airlines operates a subfleet of Airbus A321neos that feature the Collins Diamond, while Singapore Airlines, often trading places with Qatar as either the world’s best or second-best airline, installs the Thompson Vantage on its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet. The 737 MAX 8s are the only narrowbodies in Singapore Airlines’ fleet.

While lie-flats are an expectation on long-distance flights regardless of the size of the aircraft, it varies by market on shorter stage lengths. Around the world, a recliner seat is generally sufficient on most routes. In many Asian markets, however, market dynamics demand at least an upgraded recliner seat with more space than what you’d find in other countries, but a lie-flat seat is generally preferred. Widebodies operated on regional routes by many Asian carriers also have a superior product to other regional and short-haul premium products in other markets.