INTRODUCTION

The annual BusinessTraveller Airline Survey gives you the information you need to choose the best airline, class and seat for your journey and budget

1 AIRCRAFT TYPE AND CLASS

We have arranged the survey by aircraft type to allow you to compare products across the whole fleet in each class. We have also highlighted those planes that are new to the fleet so you know where to find the most cutting-edge in-flight experiences.

2 SEAT CONFIGURATION

This is the way seats are arranged throughout the plane. The layout is important to know as some airlines are squeezing more seats into their twin-aisle jets by configuring them 3-4-3 as opposed to 3-3-3, for example, meaning you have less space.

3 SEAT PITCH

This is the distance between seats, measured from a fixed point on one seat to the same point on the one in front. The measurement differs between airlines, but it indicates how much legroom you will get. This is especially important in economy and premium economy, but when it comes to fully-flat seats in business and first, there tends to be so much space that this measurement becomes irrelevant.

4 SEAT WIDTH

Airlines obtain the seat width either by measuring the cushion, the distance between the armrests or from the outside of one armrest to the outside of the other.

5 BED LENGTH

A measurement for fully-flat seats only. This is when the pitch becomes redundant – the length of your bed is what matters. This year, there is also a business class product with the world’s first double bed (Qatar Airways).

6 SEAT RECLINE

This can be measured from either a horizontal, a 90-degree or take-off position, and is indicated in either degrees or inches.

7 SEAT TYPE

This mainly depends on a seat’s recline. We have identified five main types: standard (ST), cradle-style (CS), fixed shell (FS), angled lie-flat (AF) and fully-flat (FF).

8 SEAT-BACK SCREEN AND SIZE

Most airlines have installed personal seatback screens in every cabin so it can be a shock to discover one that hasn’t. Look out for displays of generous dimensions.

9 AUDIO-VIDEO ON-DEMAND

AVOD in-flight entertainment (IFE) – the ability to stop, start, rewind and pause movies, music and TV shows – is a musthave feature across all cabin classes. It has largely replaced the old-fashioned system of playing a selection of movies on a loop. Live TV is also making an appearance on some airlines.

10 POWER SOURCE

Many planes have in-seat power, be it through UK, EU, US/Japanese (Japan), South African (SA), USB or universal (UNI) sockets.

11 WIFI

Many carriers are now either allowing passengers to connect in-flight to the web through GPRS (charged via network providers at international roaming rates) or, more commonly, by installing onboard wifi. Often you have to pay but sometimes it’s free.