HOW WE WORK IT OUT
The Business Traveller Airline Survey, created in conjunction with
seatplans.com, gives you the information you need to choose the best airline, class and seat for your journey and budget
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ECONOMY B737-700
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ?
SMS EMAIL 30”-31”
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.
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.
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 SEAT LENGTH
A measurement for fully-flat seats only. This is when the pitch becomes redundant – the length of your bed is what matters.
6 SEAT RECLINE
This can be measured from either a horizontal, a 90-degree or take-off position.
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 INDIVIDUAL SCREEN AND SIZE With more airlines installing personal screens, it can be a shock to discover one that hasn’t. But the size of the displays can differ.
ECONOMY SEATING COLOUR KEY
PREMIUM ECONOMY
BUSINESS FIRST
17.2” N/A 2”-4” ST
9 AUDIO-VIDEO ON-DEMAND AVOD in-flight entertainment (IFE) – the ability to stop, start, rewind and pause movies, music, games and TV shows – is a must-have feature across all cabin classes. It has largely replaced the old-fashioned system of playing a selection of movies on a loop.
10 POWER SOURCE Many aircraft have in-seat power, be it through UK, EU, US, South African (SA), Japanese (Japan), USB or universal (UNI) sockets.
11 INTERNET
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 at a set fee.
12 MOBILE PHONE USE
Some airlines allow passengers to use their mobile phones in-flight. Prices depend on network providers and not all carriers will permit all forms of communication, so we have specified which are available (see inside the mobile phone icon for whether emails, SMS messages or voice calls are possible on board).
✔ ● 7” ● O⁄ ● ● ✔
WHY NO MARK OUT OF TEN?
WE FLY ON DOZENS of different aircraft and airlines each year, in different cabin classes, and on different sectors – 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 and the length of the bed.
It also affects the way you respond to the recline of the seat, particularly in business class – some passengers can sleep on angled lie-flat seats, while others need a fully-flat bed to get a good night’s rest. It depends so much on personal shape and preference. For this reason, we have simply presented you with the figures to let you make up your own mind.
SO WHO’S THE BEST?
THAT’S FOR YOU TO DECIDE. We ask you to visit Business Traveller’s sister website,
seatplans.com – there are user reviews and public ratings of airline cabin classes on a scale of one to ten. You’ll also find flight reviews from the Business Traveller editorial team and advice on choosing the best seat. So far, we have seat plans, measurements and photos of more than 200 airlines, with new carriers being added regularly, so it is easier than ever to prepare for your trip. If you would like to see a carrier featured that isn’t already, just email us and we’ll add it. For a list of airlines that are not in this survey but are on
seatplans.com, turn to page 54. If you have any feedback, send us an email at
talktous@businesstraveller.com or visit
businesstraveller.com/discussion to leave your comment on our online forum.
6 | BUSINESS TRAVELLER AIRLINE SURVEY 2016 Visit
seatplans.com
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