OUR SURVEY SAYS...
Turn to our guide to economy and premium economy seats for the most comfortable ride.
The annual Business Traveller Airline Survey gives you all the information you need to choose the best airline, class and seat for your journey and budget. In this issue, we list economy and premium economy classes.
DISCLAIMER
The strength of this survey is that we get the statistics from the airlines, and those statistics are accurate. The weakness is that those statistics, while accurate, are inconsistent when compared between airlines. You will see how, below.
AIRCRAFT TYPE AND CLASS
We have arranged the survey by aircraft type to allow you to compare products across the whole fleet in economy and premium economy.
SEAT LAYOUT
The way seats are arranged on the plane. The configuration is important as airlines are squeezing more seats into their twin-aisle jets by configuring them 3-4-3 as opposed to 3-3-3, offering less space.
SEAT PITCH
Pitch is the distance between seats (legroom, in other words). It is measured from a fixed point on one seat to the same point on the one in front. The measurement differs between airlines, but generally it indicates how much legroom you will get. This is especially important in economy and premium economy where an extra inch on a long-haul flight makes a significant difference.
SEAT WIDTH
There is no consistency on this. Airlines obtain the seat width either by measuring the seat pan cushion, or the distance between the armrests, or from the outside of one armrest to the outside of the other.
SEAT RECLINE
Recline is also inconsistent in measurement between airlines. It can be measured from either a horizontal, a 90-degree or take-off position, and is indicated in either degrees or inches.
SEAT TYPE
We have identified three main types in economy and premium economy: standard (ST), cradle-style (CS) and fixed shell (FS).
SEAT-BACK SCREEN AND SIZE
Most airlines have installed personal seatback screens for in-flight entertainment in every cabin, but some still have overhead screens or provide tablets. The survey gives screen dimensions where these have been supplied by the airline.
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.
POWER SOURCE
Many airplanes offer in-seat power, be it through UK, EU, US/Japan (JP), South African (SA), USB or universal (UNI) sockets.
WHYNOMARK OUTOFTEN?
Business Traveller flies on dozens of different aircraft and airlines each year, in different cabin classes, and on different routes – so why couldn’t we have awarded a mark out of ten? There are a number of reasons but, most significantly, it’s because the results would have been so subjective as to be useless. The size you are makes a difference to everything – how much legroom you have; the comfort of the seat width. It also affects the way you respond to the recline of the seat. For this reason, we have simply presented you with the figures to let you make up your own mind.
WHICHAIRLINE ISTHEBEST?
That’s for you to decide – but we are here to help. If you want deeper insights into the on-board experience (from the service to the food, the entertainment and the amenity kits), you’ll find flight reviews from the Business Traveller editorial team at businesstraveller. com/tried-and-tested. We also publish airport lounge reviews so you can get a sense of the end-to-end journey.
CONTACTUS
You can share your stories, opinions and advice with fellow flyers on our online forum at businesstraveller.com/forum.
If you have any feedback on this year’s survey, send us an email at talktous@businesstraveller.com