As travelers increasingly seek enhanced comfort and space during their flights, Premium Economy Class has become a popular choice. Offering more legroom and wider seats than standard Economy, the PEY class provides passengers with an upgraded flying experience.
In this article, we have listed airlines offering some of the best Premium Economy seats, with a focus on their legroom and seat width.
Japan Airlines and Norse Atlantic Airways, with impressive legroom, take the lead in providing a spacious and comfortable experience. Air New Zealand and Emirates also stand out, offering ample legroom and wider seats, making them excellent choices for passengers seeking an elevated flying experience.
Japan Airlines
- Legroom: 42 inches
- Seat Width: 19.3 inches (B787), 18.9 inches (B777-300/ER)
Japan Airlines is a standout, providing a generous 42 inches of legroom in Premium Economy on its Boeing 787s. Even on their B777-300/ERs, JAL maintains 42 inches of legroom, however, the seat width shrinks to 18.9 inches.
Note that Japan Airlines’ Premium Economy seats are in hard shells, so they cannot be reclined. Instead, the seat simply slides forward.
Norse Atlantic Airways
- Legroom: 43-46 inches
- Seat Width: 19 inches
Norse Atlantic offers an impressive legroom of 43 to 46 inches and 19 inches of seat width on their Boeing 787 with 56 Premium Economy Seats.
Air New Zealand
- Legroom: 41 inches
- Seat Width: 19.3 inches
Air New Zealand offers 41 inches of legroom and 19.3-inch seat width, which is one of the most sought-after Premium Economy experiences.
Emirates
- Legroom: 40 inches
- Seat Width: 19.5 inches
In December 2020, Emirates unveiled its full Premium Economy offering becoming the only airline in the Middle East region to offer a Premium Economy cabin. On a four-class Emirates A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration.
Emirates, which has recently embarked on billions of dollars worth of reconfiguration, provides one of the most popular Premium Economy Class. Once onboard, the cream-colored leather seats offer a seat pitch of up to 40 inches, they are 19.5 inches wide, and recline 8 inches into a cradle position with room to stretch out.
Cathay Pacific
- Legroom: 40 inches (A350), 36-38 on other aircraft type
- Seat Width: 19 inches (A350), 19.5 on other aircraft type
Cathay Pacific impresses with 40 inches of legroom and 19-inch seat width on its A350 aircraft. In other aircraft types, passengers can still enjoy between 36-38 inches of legroom and a comfortable 19.5-inch seat width in the PE cabin.
Air France
- Legroom: 40 inches (A330/B787), 38 inches on other aircraft type
- Seat Width: 19 inches
Air France offers 40 inches of legroom on its A330 and B787 aircraft. However, the French carrier offers 38 inches of legroom and 19-inch seat width in the majority of its other aircraft.
Most PEY seats on Air France are in a fixed hard shell that only slides forward. Please note only PEY seats on refurbished B777-300/ER offer back recline.
Vietnam Airlines
- Legroom: 42 inches
- Seat Width: 19 inches
Vietnam Airlines also offers a great choice for travelers looking for extra space. Their Premium Economy Class on eight of the newer B787-9 aircraft offers an impressive 42 inches of legroom and 19-inch seat width.
China Airlines
- Legroom: 39 inches
- Seat Width: 20 inches (A350), 19 inches (B777)
China Airlines’ A350 offers an enticing 39 inches of legroom and a spacious 20-inch seat width. They also provide a comfortable 39/19 seat configuration on selective B777 aircraft. Moreover, it offers a 2-3-2 configuration on board its A350 aircraft (instead of the usual 2-4-2 in PEY), thus offering wider seats.
Lufthansa
- Legroom: 39 inches (Allegris PEY), 38 inches on other aircraft type
- Seat Width: 19.5 inches (Allegris PEY), 18/18.5 inches on other aircraft type
Lufthansa offers Premium Economy passengers 39 inches of legroom and 19.5-inch seat width on those aircraft equipped with the Allegeris seat. Additionally, they also provide a 2-3-2 configuration in selective A350 aircraft, becoming the only second airline after China Airlines to do so. However, please note that these seats are in a fixed hard shell that only slides forward.
Virgin Atlantic
- Legroom: 38 inches
- Seat Width: 21 inches (A330ceo/B787), 18.5 inches (A330neo/A350)
Virgin Atlantic’s A330ceo and B787 aircraft offer 38 inches of legroom and an impressive 21-inch seat width. For their A330neo and A350 aircraft, passengers can still enjoy a comfortable 38/18.5 configuration.
Qantas
- Legroom: 38-39 inches (39 on A380, 38 on B787)
- Seat Width: 19-20 inches (19 on A380, 20 on B787)
Qantas offers a range of legroom and seat width options in their Premium Economy Class, including 39 inches of legroom and 19-inch seat width on the A380 superjumbos and 38 inches of legroom and 20-inch seat width on their B787s.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines offers a special edition of its Premium Economy seats on its Airbus A350-900ULR with a legroom of over 38 inches. There are a total of 94 Premium Economy Class seats, with no standard economy seats on the A350-900ULR. The seating is in a 2-4-2 configuration.
What’s interesting are the solo seats in a 1-3-1 configuration towards the back of the aircraft. Due to the plane’s curvature, there are additional storage bins next to the seat. These seats are 40/41/42 C and H.
Summary
| Premium Economy Class | ||
| Airlines | Legroom (inches) | Width (inches) |
| Japan Airlines | 42 | 19.3 (B787) 18.9 (B777-300/ER) |
| Norse Atlantic Airways | 43-46 | 19 |
| Air New Zealand | 41 | 19 |
| Emirates | 40 | 19.5 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | 41 (B787-9) | 18 |
| Cathay Pacific | 40 (A350) 36-38 on other aircraft type | 19 (A350) 19.5 on other aircraft type |
| Air France | 40 (A330/B787) 38 on other aircraft type | 19 |
| Vietnam Airlines | 42 (Eight B787-9 Only) | 19 (Eight B787-9 Only) |
| China Airlines | 39 | 20 19 (B777) |
| Lufthansa | 39 (Allegris PE) 38 on other aircraft type | 19.5 (Allegris PE) 18/18.5 on other aircraft type |
| Virgin Atlantic | 38 | 21 (A330ceo/B787) 18.5 (A330neo/A350) |
| Qantas | 39 (A380) 38 (B787) | 19 (A380) 20 (B787) |
| ANA | 38 | 19 19.5 (B777) |
| Singapore Airlines | 38 | 19 |
| British Airways | 38 | 18/18.5 |
| EVA Air | 38 | 19.5 |
| KLM | 38 (select B777/B787) | 18/18.5 (select B777/B787) |
| Air Canada | 38 (A330/B787) 38 on Seven B777-300/ER 37 on the rest of B777 | 19 (A330/B787) 20 (B777) |
| Finnair | 38 (A350 and Select A330) | 18.7 (A350 and Select A330) |
| Delta | 38 | 18.5 |
| United | 38 | 19 (B767/787) 18.5 (B777) |
| American Airlines | 38 | 19 (B787-9/B777-300/ER) 18.5 on other aircraft type |
| China Southern | 38 | 18.8 (A350) 19 (B787) 19.2 (B777-300/ER) |
Japan Airlines and Norse Atlantic Airways truly excel in Premium Economy with exceptional legroom, ensuring a comfortable journey. Air New Zealand and Emirates also stand out, offering a great balance of space and comfort!
More about Singapore Airlines would be helpful. JFK to Singapore with 2-3- seating. Longest nonstop flight.
We coved Singapore Airlines Premium Economy here: https://samchui.com/2023/10/27/which-airlines-offer-the-best-premium-economy-seats/
I flew this week SIN-LAX on EVA Air premium economy. The service was pleasantly good. The food was premium as well. The seat was wonderful. I am a big guy and these seats were quite comfortable. I would like to see another dimension for seating, The distance from the face of the seatback to the rear of the seat in front. On Eva my knees were not touching the seat in front of me. There was even a 3 inch gap. The price of the ticket was way way below other flights on the route. Their website is a bit of a stinker, so be prepared for delays and stuff that just does not work.
Thanks for sharing this Ric.
Thank you Sam for always providing useful information. All your research is evident by the accuracy provided. Thanks, Sid
Has anyone travelled on virgin atlantic medical seats ? what are your opinions please?
Sam, what about Singapore Airlines please
Singapore Airlines is on the list at the bottom of this article.
I was wondering about icelandair as they have sections of their planes where seating is larger
That could be Economy plus or Economy space but not Premium Economy which is a separate class altogether.
I think Air Premia should also be included.
This airline operates 56 premium economy seats on its B787 aircraft.
Why is klm not shown, their new premium comfort is rather nice.
We’ve added KLM
Norse Atlantic Airways offer a superb Premium product for fraction of the price of their competition! A must to be on that list!
Thanks. We’ve added it.
LOT Polish shoud be on that list, while Lufthansa not. Their product is not worth it.
Another nice one. Thanks.
Very interesting article! One useful statistic would be how much extra on average a seat costs in PE, compared to Economy, for some major routes. Is it or is it not worth the extra cost?