Which Airline has the Best and Worst Economy Class Seat?
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Which Airlines has the Best and Worst Economy Class Leg Room? There’s an impression that Economy seats are now more cramped. Seat backs are thinner than they once were. More seats got squeezed in each row. In this video, I listed 10 airlines that have the worst legroom. But you can also find some good Economy seats from this video.
The Japanese carriers really stand out of the pack in Economy Class. Japan Airlines is the world’s only airline to offer 8 abreast on the 787. All other airlines squeeze in one more seat with 9 seats per row on the 787.
Over time, Airlines also found ways to squeeze one more seat in each row (10 abreast) on the Boeing 777. In the video, I present a list of airlines that still has just 9 seats per row on the 777 which give you more width.
Air New Zealand and ANA have a pretty unique product to allow you to lie flat in Economy. Air New Zealand also has a future lie flat option called Skynest that provides passenger bunk space to lie flat in Economy.
The A380 - The world’s biggest passenger airliner are passenger’s favorite. There is 1 special seat on the main deck of the A380 that has amazing legroom. Find out more in the video. Asiana, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Emirates (2 class) A380 have Economy on upper deck seating which is quieter and more exclusive.
More and more airlines are upselling their economy Class. At the forward section of Economy and at exit rows, you will find Economy Plus or Economy space which has a couple more inches of legroom. At the end of the video, explore some of the best Premium Economy airline products.
It irritates me so much that people are hating on low-cost carriers because without them,family’s wouldn’t be able to go on vacation if the plane tickets were so high and I know it’s not emirates first class but I hope that we can all agree that low-cost is very important.
yeah absolutely, especially for europeans. Americans would spend hundreds going to a popular tourist spot like Rome. In europe a low cost flight with Ryanair will make you spend ~30 euros
@@wowo1005Meanwhile “Low-costs” here in America cost you over $1000 dollars on several occasions
I commented on your video yesterday from DJ’s aviation! Found you again LOL 😅
That’s what irritates you?
This video is about the seats not price
ANA was the best for me, service and food were great and they have a unique way of reclining where it slides your seat bottom forward instead of tilting the back. Such a great way to avoid any intrusion on the person behind.
I think that the word "recline" is abused by airlines. No one would buy a living room recliner that "reclined" whatever it is, 4 inches or so. I would do away with reclining economy seats altogether.
@@michaelcavalier8750 Agreed we can get rid of it, why get into arguments over a couple inches of recline.
Didn't United use to have 2-5-2 seats on their 777s?
only bad thing is they codeshare with United and it's hard to tell which flight is serviced by whom, especially for flights to/from the US
I feel JAL is slightly roomier. ANA is more newer and has more Toilet cubicles (guess we can guess where those 2 missing toilets in JAL went)
Cramming more seats in increases airline profits, but it also keeps flight prices down. I think one has to accept no-frills, low-cost airlines like Ryanair as ‘buses’ to get you from A to B as quickly as possible. That said, I simply couldn’t cope with an economy seat for more than a 4 hour flight - I would have to pay for a premium or business class seat. I find after a few hours in economy I get very bad cramps in my lower body and legs.
Totally agree with JAL seats, man it was good on the 787
I'm about 6 ft and probably the most legroom I ever experienced was on Alaska Airlines' Airbus A320 Premium Economy when my family and I flew from San Francisco to Seattle. I don't recall having bad legroom throughout all my times I flew on Economy though. I might have, but it might be a time when I was very young and thus, I cannot remember.
Thank you so much Sam for this economy run down for us regular people 😊. This was indeed very useful. Especially since Thai Airways was mentioned in the list as a somewhat better economy experience. I guess the Emirates premium economy is a good widely available option too. Some of the offerings mentioned are somewhat more limited in availability or only exist in some regions.
Another interesting video Sam.... you put your own stamp on your these evaluations...I admire your forthright approach to these issues and always look forward to each and every video release... Thank you.... Roger.... Pembrokeshire UK
Thanks Sam nice somebody is covering economy class which most of us use. JAL have always rated highly.
I used to commute from LA to Vietnam all the time with JAL! They're Dreamliner space is great. It's true what Sam says about it.
I once flew long haul on JAL and had both the corner seats to myself. It was basically first class with the room you get.
@samChui : I recently travelled from New Delhi-Tokyo Haneda-New Delhi on ANA Economy. The food was excellent. The legroom was just ok as the seats weren't cramped. The best thing was the food.
ANA de las mejores aerolíneas.
Oh my gosh, Alitalia was my first thought! We flew them for the first time and at 5'5" I was shocked at the small size!
I was very surprised how pleasant economy was from KIX to LHR on a 777 . I flew out on Business class which was really good with great food and superb service. BA actually switched me to JA after cancelling their own ''out bound''. As an aside the best economy short haul seat for comfort I found on an older JA Boeing 737 -just like the large airline seats in the 1980;s.Thanks for your excellent analysis in this useful video.
I was also very surprised when I flew from LHR to LAX in economy class in 2013 with BA, it was pleasant. I came back in premium economy also with BA and for me at that time, their economy and premium economy classes were better than those of Air France
I really appreciate Airlines that go the extra mile to make the journey more comfortable, a bottle of water, tilting IFE screen and a comfortable pillow are some things I look out for. I’ve flown on many 787s, I’ve never had problems with 9 seats per row. I just flew on my first 10-abreast 777 and I didn’t notice much change from 9-abreast, plus I’m a decently large. Interested to hear what everyone else’s experiences.
Just flown 14.5hrs on Cathay 777-300ER with a 10 abreast and a miserable flight. I am 6.2 and was cramped.
Air Canada 10-abreast 777's are miserable. I remember not that long ago when they were 9 abreast :(
Not only low cost carriers, other airlines too..I booked an economy seat on Lufthansa from Germany to South Africa, paid for ticket ,then had to book seat afterwards which means seats with extra leg room are sold out . I am 6 ft 4 inch . I prefer to choose seat before paying for seat and airfare
Surprised Jet2 was on this this, as I've never had a problem. I'm about to return to the UK on an Aer Lingus A330 via Dublin and found the economy seats not to bad either
The Air New Zealand "Sky Nest" is really cool!!
Economy seats have become increasingly cramped, with thinner and more closely spaced seats. However, not all economy seats are created equal. Japanese airlines are leading the way with economy class, with JAL's 787 Dreamliner offering a wider seat than any other plane in the world, with two seats on each side of the aisle instead of the usual three. Several airlines still offer a nine seat per row configuration on their A330-300 planes, including Air China, Asiana Airlines, and Turkish Airlines, giving passengers a bit more width on long haul flights. Air New Zealand offers a unique economy lay-flat option, where passengers can purchase up to three seats to form a sky couch, essentially creating their own bed in economy class. This option is priced between economy and premium economy. The A380 is another aircraft that offers more legroom in economy class, with ANA from Japan offering particularly roomy economy seats on their flying honu flights between Tokyo and Honolulu.
T’way from Korea has a 2-4-2 economy layout as well on their A333 albeit they are considered LCC
I flew a T'way 737 and it wasn't bad at all.
As someone who flies Spirit Airlines a lot, I have to put the 28-inch seat pitch into context. The narrow seat pitch is not as bad as it sounds, due to the fact that the seats do not recline on Spirit and most other ultra-low-cost carriers. Also, the seats are built narrowly, which gives a little bit more legroom. It's still kind of a tight fit, and I would recommend tall travelers pay extra for an exit row, but I've never found it to be too uncomfortable for a 2- or 3- hour flight.
La comodidad depende mucho de la estatura del pasajero y de si es obeso o delgado, pero en términos generales para vuelos de no más de 2 horas ya viéndonos generosos hasta 4 horas son tolerables para alguien que mida hasta 1.75 m.ñ
@@rmramirezc Sí, es cierto. para mi, soy delgado y tengo altura de 5' 11". Realmente me gusta mucho Spirit porque tengo ingreso bajo y no me molesta unas horas en un asiento incomodo para salvar $400 más or menos cada vez que viajo a la República Dominicana para visitar a mis suegros.
Booooooo!! Spirit Airlines sucks and is gay!
Agreed. I love Spirit. I am so sad Jet Blue is buying them. The fares are great so is the staff.
You can also sit in their first class. I think while bringing my own food, I would find it to be 5 hours plus.
The 777-300er was with 3-3-3 seats back when its first established by Boeing, but with the development of “bad seats”, its now 3-4-3, and in the upcoming 777x, Boeing made it originally with 10 seats per row. I can’t imagine will it become 11 seats next? BTW, one more interesting thing is that Airbus updated the safety guideline for the A350, and they are able to put 10 seats per row now😢
yeah, but in the end it’s always the airline that decides whether to put 9 or 10 seats in, not the airframe manufacturer.
the 777x is only 4in wider than the regular 777. I don't see any airline putting an 11 abreast in it. If any airline needs to do that then they have some really issues that they need to figure out.
The 777x would just be some wide in order to be comfortable but not to the point to have another seat add it. So it would not be that bad. The a350, well, that another story.
Cebu pasific has 3-3-3 on their A330-900 and French bee has 3-4-3 on their A350. Their A351 have 490 seats.
I sure do miss the days of travelling NYC to Athens, Greece on the Boeing 707 and 747! We used to fly economy on these older jets (Olympic, TWA, Pan Am), and the seats were huge!
Thank you for putting so much effort into this for us, Sam!
Kuwait Airways B777 was super comfortable with 3-3-3 configuration and 33 Inches of legroom! We just flew the Airline to Bangkok Thailand it was amazing! Even their A320neo was very specious. Why didn’t you mention them Sam??!
9:00 watch
appreciate your review of airline seating and amenities thank you
Great video! Really curious about the EK PE product. It is odd that QR and EY don't have PE.
Last February, I took JAL B787 flight between Tokyo and Frankfurt. It was 13 hour flight. But, thanks to comfortable seats it was not tiring.
Best economy seats in the world, no annoying stanchions under the seats on the outside so you can move your legs freely
I would say that the new Qantas A350 will be really comfortable in all 4 classis of seating new one looks amazing ANA looks nice too
That JAL econ seat doesn't look too bad. I thought JAL also had a couchii type product. It's a shame that ANA doesn't offer a couchii on mainland USA to Japan flights, unless I'm just not looking at the right itineraries. Great video, sir!
Well seat pitch is important to me with 1.93 cm height. Yet what also counts is just how they treat economy class passengers. I think the same smile and engagement is also important cause when you fly cheap you don't want to be treated cheap. That starts with check in procedure by the way. I don't mind waiting but I do mind a condescending attitude. With these airlines I fly if I have no other choice but will be prepared for adversity the moment I enter the terminal. So for low cost carrier my best experience is with vueling from Spain even if their seat pitch is not really very good.
Agree. I will pay more for air canada then air transat for the same flight because their service is always horrible
I recently flew on Frontier airlines in the states and it was great. Affordable and on time and the planes are newer than the legacy airlines. For shorter flights they are very good. The price paid for premium cabins is ridiculous. If I want good food I go to a restaurant. I could dine out for a year on what I would pay for a business class ticket.
Just spent October in Japan and used ANA economy. Both 777 300ER's. First one was 2 across, second one was three. But still managed to have no 3rd person on the second flight.
Spring airlines is an low-cost carrier in china, but it take 200+seats in airbus A321. It also has a nickname called 'The Narrow-body Slave Transport Ship' spread among the china plane spotters.
Morning Sam, u helped us a lot!!! here in Brazil we do not have choice we must accept what they offer to us.
Thank you for sharing our industry.
Very good idea of having more space in economy class for passangers to lay on. Congratulations
Lots of good information! I had two very nice flights on United 777 aircraft when they still had the 3-3-3 layout. Aisle seat both times.
Thanks for your research and useful information 👍🏻
Low cost also have seats you can pay a little extra and have loads of legroom. I recently flew AA and Delta and the extra legroom cost $20 and i had nobody beside me on one ( i lifted arm) and in both the seat in front was a full seat away. Reserved locker space too. You pay for what you get!! Book early save $$$ and it funds the upgrade. The A380 missing seat has two benefits. The seat in front can recline and affect nobody and the seat behind gets legroom...free
Hey Sam. Thank you for sharing this video. It was very useful to me. I suggest you to share more videos like this. Thank you so much. 😊
Jal 787 is too good, these "premium economy" like seats with the service quality and food. amazing offering considering they're charging similar prices to their competition.
This is really good and useful video!
Thanks for that review Sam for some of us that won’t probably fly business or first class in our lives knowing which Airlines economy class product to use, this review will help a lot in making that decision!!!
I really think economy class seats should have the recline feature removed, or the angle of recline limited. It makes no sense all given the very right leg room. When the seats in front are fully reclined, it is incredibly difficult for someone to get in and out of their seats, not to mention having the IFE screen just 5 inches from your face. I can live with the standard upright seats, but I cannot live with having the seat in front just inches from my face.
You continue to be the best airline content creator on KZhead. Thanks for another interesting video.
I loved the video and it is very informative and helps us make good choices when choosing an airline in economy and premium economy!!!! As always an another amazing video,, huggies!!
Hey Sam. I must say, information disseminate by u is unique and latest updates in airlines world. Good job man! Keep it up. My good wishes to you 😊
The problem with the front seats and the mistake you and most other people make is that the armrest is an uncomfortable block between the seats as the row behind usually have narrower and adjustable armrests making the seat a whole lot wider. Especially if you travel with another person, the benefit of that wider seat is far superior to the "extra legroom" of the seats ahead. That's why I always switch to a seat further back.
I‘m considering traveling to New Zealand after seeing their economy lay-flat options, very cool stuff!
I didnt know that the seats were THAT cramped on Cebu Pacific. I was more distracted by the huge lumps in the seat where i just couldnt get comfortable. And for me ANA and Singapore Airlines have the best seats in economy that i've experienced. I also found Scoot and Sunlight Air pretty nice for the low cost airlines. Virgin and Turkish Airlines were horrendous. I am only 1.65 m tall and about 70kg but i felt like an NBA PLAYER sitting in the third row of an SUV for those flights. And with Turkish it was an 11 hour flight. Longest night of my travels around the world
Flew on Ethiad long haul economy last week. Have to say pretty impressed.
And as usual, the best economy seats don't apparently exist in any North American airlines. That shouldn't surprise anybody. That would be favourable to the passenger, and certainly they can't have that. Profit over comfort every time. Thanks Sam.
I believe QATAR still have some 77W in 3-3-3. Was on one the other day to BKK. But on way back (from HKG) and to LHR, both 77W were 3-4-3.
Hey Sam, awesome awesome very very nice. Please keep coming out with more vlogs?
SAM CHUI I LOVE UR WORK IVE BEEN WATCHING U FOR 6 YEARS AND YOUR VIDEOS ARE JUST GREAT KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
hahaha
Thanks,Sam.Very thanks for information,good to know.
Thank for information 👍
In early days of 777-200(before 777-300ER release), the 9-seat config is using 2-5-2 and it is terrible for the central 5 seats
Best video and info.
Just know that all American carriers are having 10 rows now. I recently flew the Delta A350-1000. Omg the economy class experience was so crappy. I can barely move after seated.
Great topic for a video!! ALL of us appreciate you discussing this info. ((especially on very long trips)). As always, excellent Job Sam!! Thanks so much!!
Great question.
Many airlines around the world are moving toward a 3-3-3 and even a 3-4-3 in their Economy Class cabins of a widebody aircraft for several reasons. One of the primary reasons is to increase revenue by accommodating more passengers in the same space. For instance, Airbus A380plus, a concept that could have seen as many as 80 seats added to the superjumbo across all classes, would have increased the total seats onboard by 23-40 roughly, a huge revenue generator for airlines. Additionally, the wide cabin of the Airbus A380 gave operators the chance to add another seat in economy, without sacrificing too much in terms of width. For reference, Emirates’ typical economy class on the A380 has a 3-4-3 configuration with 18 inches of seat width, a pretty standard international offering. However, there are trade-offs to consider. The more seats an airline adds, the less space each passenger has, which can lead to discomfort and dissatisfaction. Some airlines have opted for a 2-5-2 seating arrangement, which provides more space for passengers and allows for easier evacuation and service.
Great video as always.
Weldone Sam, it's been a while actually. I'm watching from Nigeria. I didn't know you listen to Nigerian music, heard a little of "Common person" by Burna Boy somewhere in this video
I definitely agree with you Sam regarding the economy of Air India. I flew with them last year from New Delhi to Mumbai on the 777-300er and the legroom in economy was very generous.
Pathetic airline and service though. Would rather go on a bloody banana boat than ever making a mistake of going with them.
@@ziplock8316you seem to be overly negative on Air India. Note this is the first time it’s being privatised, the effects are not immediate. I’ve found their service fair, and so have others.
The legroom in their 787s is sooo good. Poorly maintained but gave me some of the most comfortable non E+/PE 787 ride.
@@ziplock8316don't travel then...
Hi sam nice information i was looking the same . Last 2 days befor my flight to chicago with etihad. Thank u to ppl know about pia.too
I have to say, I have flown both Ryanair and Jet2 on their 737-800 and I had no issues with their legroom
How tall are u
@@Julian-bh1mo prolly 1 foot
How much have you been paid to say this
@@Julian-bh1mo I'm 5'9
@@haveahollyjollychristmas They aren't the best but they are definitely manageable and not as bad as a lot of people say
Sam, Azul (AD) have's the 'SKY SOFA' in economy too.
Airlines with seat pitch of 28” should not have seats that recline. I know some already do but the ones that don’t should remove the recline capability. 😡
7:14 I copped this economy seat with the seat in front on a Thai Airways A380 between BKK and London, used my carry on as a footrest and basically lied flat (curled up) and slept like a baby
i booked a ticket with scoot forgetting about the seat pitch. and i'm glad both flights its on their dreamliner, seatmap states its 31". if i had booked their A321-200neo, it would be 28-29", that would be uncomfortable. i at least had the foresight to book an aisle seat, so if i cant fit, i can always spill into the aisle my previous flight was with airasiaX, i just had 1 inch gap from my knees. AirasiaX pitch is 30-31". and i chose a window seat. if it was tighter, i couldnt spill into the 2 ladies space next to me. i also only used the washroom once and the middle seat lady was also not in her seat.
Also Turkish Airlines have 2-4-2 on Economy on selected flights (i flew OTP-IST in may 2023 with this configuration)
This putting 3-4-3 in a 777 and the 787 are just sardine cans and I actively avoid those two configurations. I really hate it because I used to love the Cathay 777 but now I won't be flying them again because they are changing the 350 to the sardine 777 in my location.
Absolutely agreed
uppeer deck on A380 means side storage on the window seats also Korean air doesn’t charge for the extra legroom seat where the empty seat is for the crew escape hatch
Turkish Airlines economy seating is spacious.
Yesterday, wife and I flew 11 hours from Rome to Incheon Korea in economy on a Korean Air B777-300 with 3-3-3 seating arrangement. Had spacious leg room. Korean Air is great! The long 11 hour flight was very comfortable. You get blanket, pillow, soft slippers, small toothbrush and toothpaste, and a headset (not ear buds). The pretty Flight attendants all about 5 ft 8 iin were very friendly, charming, and very helpful. They were the ones who made the long flight enjoyable. Dinner and breakfast food was delicious! Red wine hit the spot! Had chuk for breakfast. The Incheon Korean Air Premium lounge food with Korean flovor touch was delicious! Then flew 8 hr from Incheon to Honolulu on Korean Air B747-8 with 3-4-3 seating arrangement. Wasn't as spacious as the Rome - Incheon B777-300, but was comfortable. Pretty flight attendants this flight were also about 5 ft 8 in, very friendly, charming, and very helpful. Korean Air is "first class" in economy. Korean air is definitely one of the best in our opinion.
Thank you SAM
Flew ANA recently on a long haul flight on a 787 after many years of not traveling and I was impressed with both the airline and the 787. My last long haul flight previously had been on a Qantas 747-400.
One of the reasons why the Airbus A330 (including its neo versions) is my favorite aircrafts of all time is because of their 2-4-2 seating configuration in Economy Class, which is perfect for passengers who want a direct aisle access in all classes. The 3-3-3 configuration of the Airbus A350 XWB, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and Comac C929 (previously known as CR929) and the 3-4-3 configuration of the Boeing 777 (including its successor, the 777X) are cramped and could be difficult to access the aisle. If the widebody aircraft I'm going to travel on has an Economy Class configuration of other than 2-4-2, I'll opt to travel in Business Class or even Premium Economy because they provide direct aisle access.
Air Premia, an airline in Korea, has a 35-inch economy (excluding some HL8516~7)
Great video 👏
Quite strange to know that none of the European or American carriers mentioned here have a good seat pitch despite Americans & Europeans are on an average taller than the Asian's
LOL, unbelievable. Apparently, some airlines have the same practices we have in Mexico with some urban buses: they squeeze the seats and passengers sit in (practically) fetal position. Very uncomfortable, of course, and probably unhealthy. But on the bus at least we have the option to stand up and it's a short trip.
Very nice ! 🌟
most useful vedio for me so far , thank you so much sam.
Glad to hear that
0:49 Adria Airways doesn't exist anymore, the airline went bankrupt.
Laa...I Than Adira AF8?😅
Hello Sam, thank you for the great information, how are the seats in economy from ONT to TPE China Airlines, thank you
That PIA execution at the end is actually genius!
The Dreamliner in Sky Wider for JAL doesn't have the annoying steel stanchions under the outside seats in 2-4-2 configuration either, so if you're traveling with a partner these are the single best economy seats in the world
Sam, you are an absolute Legend! thanks for sharing all this info...
Nice work Sam 😊 I don’t like being in cramped spaces.
Ryanair has 30" not 28" and is some of the best I've seen in Europe for low cost. Because the seats are narrower and have no seat pockets it feels much better then others PLUS the person in front of you cannot reclain onto your lap
I recently flew in the upstairs economy section of a Lufthansa A380 - do NOT recommend! Yes it's a smaller cabin, so there are fewer people with you, meaning there's never really a queue for the toilet, and you get your meals more quickly (they still ran out of options though - on one meal in EACH direction). The main issues I had though were that firstly, the overhead bins above the window-side seats were TINY - I couldn't even get my backpack into them. So bin space is a real issue. If you sit in a window seat though, they do have extra bins in the "wall" below the window. There's a "window sill" that opens to reveal a bin you can put things in for easy access.The other big issue is that the seats themslves were the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE seats I've ever sat in!!! The seat cushions were thin, and not properly attached to the seat frame so they moved around a lot. I do not recommend travelling in the upper deck economy class seats in a Lufthansa A380.
WE are looking for a reasonable Fare from Frankfurt to NYC, already thinking about Business-Class to have more space & comfort. However Economy would be perfect for our Budget 😉. Any advices??? Thx 👍
Sam Chiu is definitely the man with a plan! Thanks for all you do Sam! I'm getting a SurfShark VPN along with my next airline ticket!
Hi Sam, I love your vlogs.
PIA executive economy is the ultimate comfort over entertainment compromise... that IFE is abysmal id rather be on Emirates economy if it was a 5h+ flight
Keep making these vidoes, they can help making choices
The Virgin Australia 737-800 Economy X has really good legroom 34” of pitch, and for people with status its free otherwise depending on the distance depends on the price, for example Melbourne - Sydney or anything that is about an hour is $35 AUD