Flying economy can be uncomfortable – especially on a full aircraft-
especially as airlines try to pack more seats into their cabins. A few airlines
have held out for a bit more space and so today, we take a look at some of the best.
A challenge in our comparison is fleet diversity. Seat types and
configurations can vary widely, even for the same aircraft type
with the same airline. But we’ll do our best to compare products anyways!
By the way, seat and cabin information in
this video is based on data from seatguru.com and ch-aviaton.com.
First: JetBlue probably stands out for the most spacious seats. These
vary between aircraft types, but the airline offers up to
34-inches of seat pitch in standard economy. Of its 130 Airbus A320s,
12 are currently configured with a 34-inch seat pitch. Other jetBlue aircraft offer 32 inches.
On the non-Mint equipped A321s and its Embraer ERJ 190s, the standard pitch is 32
inches. On the Mint-equipped aircraft, this is increased to 33 as standard.
Both configurations also have several rows of economy, offering more space.
JetBlue’s “Even More Space” concept features several rows of economy seats with extra
legroom, with at least 37 inches on all aircraft (and 39 inches on the ERJ 190).
In general, this is among the best of any airline globally in economy class.
Southwest Airlines is another great option for domestic US economy. Its
older Boeing 737-700s offer 31 inches of seat pitch. This has been increased on
the newer 737-800 and MAX 8 to between 32 and 33 inches. Southwest has also
managed to increase the seat width on the MAX 8 to 17.8 inches (up from 17).
Of the big US 3, Delta offers the most spacious economy product in
general – although there are still variations.
On most narrowbodies, there is 30 to 31 inches of pitch. However, the 737-800,
757, and the Airbus A220, offer 32 inches. Width is 18 inches on most Airbus narrowbodies
and 17.2 on the Boeing 737. The Airbus A220 pushes this up to a comfortable 18.6 inches.
Delta’s “Comfort+” cabin offers a standard 34 inches of pitch on all aircraft.
United offers 30 to 31 inches pitch on all its narrowbody aircraft. All its
Airbus jets are configured with just 30 inches as are the Boeing 737-800
and MAX 8. This goes up to 31 inches on the 737-900, MAX 9, and the older 757 aircraft.
The airline’s “Economy Plus” cabin offers 34 inches on the A319,
and 35 inches on the A320, as well as on all Boeing narrowbodies.
For American Airlines, economy class for the Airbus A319, Boeing 737-800 and MAX
8 see just 30 inches pitch. Meanwhile, the A321 gets a bump up to 31 inches.
The airline also has a “Main Cabin Extra” option which has legroom of
33 or 34 inches, and 35 inches on the A321T.
As we’ve already mentioned, there are many differences in seats between airlines
and aircraft types, which make for a very challenging comparison. However,
we hope this video provided a good overview of the best economy class seats across US carriers.
Do you have a favorite economy class seat? Let us know in the comments.