aircraft seats

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Aircraft seats come in a variety of designs that balance comfort, safety, and airline revenue strategies.

Seat Types and Configurations

Airlines categorize seats into standard, extra legroom, and premium categories, each offering different pitch and location benefits. Extra Legroom seats can provide up to five inches more pitch than standard seats, while Preferred seats share the same pitch but sit closer to the front of the cabin. Bulkhead and exit‑row rows are also considered “extra” seats because they often feature additional space.

Business Class Seat Models

American Airlines uses several business class seat models on its Boeing 777 and 787 fleet, all of which have fully flat beds and direct aisle access. The Safran Cirrus seat, a reverse‑herringbone product in a 1‑2‑1 layout, is American’s third most common business class seat. The Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seat is viewed as a more evolved design but is being phased out of American’s fleet. Thai Airways’ 787‑9 aircraft feature the Safran Cirrus II seat in a bulkhead position that offers extra footroom. Singapore Airlines’ A350s are equipped with the Stelia Aerospace Symphony seat, an upgraded version of the Opal seat that includes privacy shields and staggered configurations.

Certification and Safety

Business and first‑class seats can cost close to one hundred thousand dollars each and must meet rigorous FAA crash‑worthiness standards, including the “16 g rule”. Seats must be certified for each specific aircraft type, which is why airlines prefer off‑the‑shelf seats already approved for a given model. The Delta Connection CRJ‑900 incident in Toronto demonstrated how proper seat certification helps keep seats in place during an emergency.

Emerging Seat Designs

Low‑cost carriers are introducing pre‑reclined seats with fixed, slightly angled backrests to improve efficiency and reduce weight. These non‑reclining seats are most common on short‑haul flights but are also being tested by legacy carriers such as British Airways.

Accessibility Features

Some seat types can switch to a Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM) mode in about ninety seconds, allowing a powered wheelchair to lock into place. Airlines are also developing accessible forward lavatories for single‑aisle aircraft like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families.

One Mile at a Time

American’s Business Class On The 777 & 787: Which Planes Have Which Seats?

There’s often some confusion about which American Airlines wide body jets have which business class seats. In this post, I’d like to provide a rundown of which seats you should expect to find in business class on various long haul flights. I figure this is an especially good time to look at this, given that American recently introduced an all-new business class seat. Note that this is separate from the seats you’ll find in premium cabins on narrow body domestic flights, as those are very different different… In this post: American has four different kinds of business

Southwest assigned seating is coming soon; how it & boarding groups will work

We’ve known for about a year that Southwest will be moving to an assigned seating model, but up until now we didn’t know exactly when that would be starting, nor what kind of seating benefits Southwest credit cardholders would receive. Southwest finally made an announcement yesterday sharing more details about when this will all come into play, how it will all work, how many boarding groups there’ll be and more. Assigned seating will be used for all flights booked from July 29, 2025 for travel starting from January 27, 2026. Southwest’s flight schedule is currently only bookable through

One Mile at a Time

Aircraft Seat Certification Delays: Why Has It Become Such A Mess?

In recent times, we’ve seen an increasing issue with airlines getting new seats certified with regulators, to the point that it’s in some situations causing planes to be delayed by years. Lufthansa is probably dealing with the worst of this, but even Delta is having issues with certification on its newest narrow body aircraft. This isn’t some minor issue — we’re talking about billions of dollars worth of new planes being parked for extended periods of time, due to lack of certified seats. All of this says nothing of the other issues airlines are facing, with aircraft delivery delays,

Live and Let's Fly

A 2-Hour Flight, A Lie-Flat Bed, Caviar, And A Real Blanket. Only In Asia.

Thai Airways offers a full-service product even on short flights, like my 755-mile journey from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur on a 787-9 in “Royal Silk” business class. Thai Airways has simplified its fleet, but still flies a mix of Airbus A330-330s, A350-900s, Boeing 777-200s, 777-300s, 787-8s, and 787-9s. The A350s have four different business class seats, while the 787-9 I was on has only the Safran Cirrus II seat, a reverse herringbone product. Onboard, I found my seat in 11K, a bulkhead seat in the front of the plane that features extra room for your feet. Impressively,

Yonkers Woman Left in ‘Excruciating Pain’ After Delta Air Damaged Her Speclized Wheelchair

A Yonkers woman who was recently crowned Ms. Wheelchair America says she had been left in “excruciating pain” and suffers back pain daily after Delta Air Lines damaged her highly specialized powered wheelchair during a recent flight. Known for her disability rights advocacy work, Latavia Sturdivant was traveling back home in New York after attending an event connected with her campaigning. As Latavia’s wheelchair is quite large, it had to be left in the care of Delta for the duration of the flight so that it could be checked into the hold of the aircraft. Once the plane

Your Mileage May Vary

I Don’t See The Appeal Of Bulkhead Seats

Airlines have figured out how to charge us for just about everything, including where we sit – but one “premium” spot I still don’t understand is the beloved bulkhead seat. Airlines know which seats people like best and therefore will charge the most for them. As a result, they separate the cabin into categories and charge fees based on demand for each seat type. For example, most carriers charge extra for aisle and window seats, knowing people will pay to avoid being in the dreaded middle seat. The other section airlines charge more for is “extra” seats. These

One Mile at a Time

Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class Airbus A350 (KUL-SIN)

For the next segment of my Iceland to The Residence via Cambodia trip, it was time to fly Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A350-900 business class on the 50-minute flight from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN). At 184 miles, this is Singapore Airlines’ shortest route, and it’s always impressive to see what a high service standard the airline offers even on short hops like this. As you’d expect, this was an excellent flight, with flat beds, great entertainment and Wi-Fi, friendly service, and pretty good food. There’s not an airline that’s more consistent when it comes to service than Singapore

Your Mileage May Vary

Airlines Are Quietly Getting Rid of Reclining Seats—Here’s Why

Not long ago, we wrote about why more hotels are no longer offering dressers in guest rooms. You may have noticed the basic reason is similar to why fewer hotels leave Bibles in their rooms anymore. Hotels aren’t the only ones in the travel industry making changes—airlines are, too. If you’ve been flying for a while, you’ve probably noticed plenty of them: And more recently, you may have noticed that fewer planes offer reclining seats. Of course, if you’re in business or first class, you can likely still recline—or even lie flat. But that may not be

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