AIRLINE SEATING CHARTS - AIRCRAFT SEAT DIAGRAMS
SEATING ARRANGEMENTS FOR MANY COMMON AIRLINERS
AIRPLANE SEAT MAPS FOR AIRBUS & BOEING COMMERCIAL JETS

AIRBUS A320 NORTHWEST AIRLINES SEATING CHART

An aircraft seat map or seating chart, is a diagram of the seat layout inside a passenger aircraft. They are often published by the airliners for informational purposes, and are of use to passengers who can select their seat at booking or check-in.

Seat maps usually indicate the basic seating layout, the numbering and lettering of the seats, the location of the emergency exits, lavatories, galleys, bulkheads and wings. Airlines which allow internet check-in frequently present a seat map indicating free and occupied seats to the passenger so that they select their seat from it.

In addition to the published seat maps from airliners, there are a number of independent websites which also publish seat maps along with reviews of individual seats, noting the particularly good (extra legroom, quiet cabin, etc.) or bad (lack of recline, unusually cramped, missing window, etc.) seats.

Most of the airlines publish the seat configurations for their aircraft, but the quality of these seat maps is sometimes questionable. Some of the details and information about seats are confusing. Usually airlines do not publish seat maps for every aircraft, only for the larger aircraft and for the ones flying on frequent routes.

In addition to those published seat maps which can be found on airline websites, there are some other sites that publish aircraft seat maps for almost all commercial aircraft. Seat maps that can be found on these sites usually have more details and on some websites you can find comments from other passengers with ups and downs about each particular airplane seat.

On many aircraft, the rightmost seats have letter designations HJK, skipping the letter I. This is because each seat has a row number followed by letter. Letters that confuse with numbers must be avoided. Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) was the first to implement this, avoiding I (1), O (0) and S (5). The remaining letters are called the DEC alphabet.

A wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft). In the typical widebody economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 600 passengers. The largest widebody aircraft are over 6 m (20 ft) wide, and can accommodate up to eleven passengers abreast in high-density configurations. Wide-body aircraft are also used for the transport of commercial freight and cargo and other special uses, described further below.

For comparison, a traditional narrow-body airliner has a diameter of 3 to 4 m (10 to 13 ft), with a single aisle and seats between two and six people abreast.

Widebody aircraft were originally designed for a combination of efficiency and passenger comfort. However, airlines quickly gave in to economic factors, and reduced the extra passenger space in order to maximize revenue and profits. Depending on how the airline configures the aircraft, the size and seat pitch of the airline seats will vary significantly. For example, aircraft scheduled for shorter flights are often configured at a higher seat density than long-haul aircraft.

Due to current economic pressures on the airline industry, high airline seating densities in the economy cabin are likely to continue.

On the oldest of planes, seats were armchairs which stood loosely in the cabin, but moving furniture in the aircraft is a safety hazard, and seats are now fastened to the floor. However, airlines usually want the flexibility to move seats around or remove them, so the seats are attached to rails underneath the floor which run along the aircraft fuselage. If the airline wants to reconfigure the seating, this is a minor operation.

For passenger safety, airline seats are equipped with seatbelts, and there is a "Fasten Seatbelts" sign above each seat which is lit up when passengers are expected to remain seated with the seatbelt fastened. This is during taxiing, take-off and landing, although turbulence may also prompt the captain to turn on this sign.

Seats are frequently equipped with further amenities. Airline seats may be equipped with a reclining mechanism for increased passenger comfort, either reclining mechanically (usually in economy class and short-haul first and business class) or electrically (usually in long-haul first class and business class). Most aircraft also feature trays for eating and reading, either in the seatback which folds down to form a small table in most economy class seats, or inside the armrest which folds out in most first class, business class, bulkhead, and exit row seats. Most airline seats also feature a pocket which may contain an in-flight magazine and a "safety on board" manual.

On small and short-haul aircraft, or on low-cost carriers, some of these amenities may not be installed. For instance, on several aircraft Ryanair has installed non-reclining seats without seat pockets with the safety manuals stitched to the seat back instead. Even on airliners with reclining seats, some seats may have a restricted recline or no recline. Typically this will be the rear row of the cabin where a rear bulkhead blocks the recline, or seats immediately in front of the emergency exit where a reclined seat might restrict access to the emergency exit, creating a potential safety hazard. Independent seat review sites such as SeatGuru often warn passengers against these seats. During take-off and landing the crew ask passengers to put their seats in an "upright" (unreclined) position and to lift and stow their tray tables.

Seats may be equipped with power ports (either EmPower, AC, or DC) for small electrical appliances and ports for headphones for the audio entertainment. Some airlines also place TV-screens in the back of each seat as part of the In-flight Entertainment system on long-haul aircraft.

Most long-haul aircraft (and short-haul aircraft on some airlines) feature seats with adjustable headrests in all classes, allowing the passenger to adjust the headrest for comfort.

Electrically adjustable lumbar support is found on most long-haul first class and business class seats. Rarely, economy class may also include a mechanically adjustable lumbar support on some long-haul aircraft, however, with the trend towards slimline seats in Economy class, this amenity has mostly vanished from most new Economy class seat installations. Examples of such aircraft with adjustable lumbar support in Economy class include Delta Air Lines' Boeing 777-200ERs and US Airways' A330-300s.

Some business class seats, such as the Recaro CL 4420, have a built-in massaging feature.

Some business class cabins feature seats that recline to a sloped flat position. These "lie flat at an angle" seats allow for greater comfort than traditional recliner seats, but are less comfortable than fully horizontal flat bed seating.

Most international first-class and a growing number of international business-class cabins feature seats which recline to a full-horizontal flat position, forming a bed.

Airline cabins are frequently classified as narrow-body if there is a single aisle with seats on either side, or wide-body if there are two aisles with a block of seats between them in addition to the seats on the side.

The number of seats abreast is affected by the aircraft width. On very small aircraft such as the Beechcraft 1900 there are only individual seats on each side of the aisle (1+1 seating). The widest narrow body aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 have six abreast seating in a 3+3 layout. Asymmetrical layouts also exist, the Embraer Regional Jets have 1+2 seating while the Douglas DC-9 aircraft typically feature 2+3 seating.

On wide body-aircraft the center block of seats between the aisles can have as many as 5 seats on planes like the layout on some McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Boeing 777 aircraft, although Boeing recommends the 3+3+3 over the 2+5+2 layout. Very wide planes such as the Boeing 747 or the Airbus A380 have ten seats abreast, typically in a 3+4+3 layout, although this layout is also sometimes used as a high density layout on aircraft normally seating nine abreast, such as the 777 or DC-10.

Window seats are located at the sides of the aircraft, and usually next to a window, although some aircraft have seat rows where there is a window missing. Window seats are preferred by passengers who want to have a view, or a wall which they can lean against. Passengers in seats adjacent to the aisle have the advantage of being able to leave the seat without having to clamber over the other passengers, and having an aisle they can stretch their legs into. If a seat block has three or more seats, there will also be middle seats which are unpopular because the passenger is sandwiched between two other passengers without advantages of either window or aisle seats. Middle seats are typically booked last.

On most commercial aircraft, seats are forward facing. There are exceptions. On military aircraft seats are frequently rearward facing. Southwest Airlines previously offered a few such seats on some aircraft, rearward facing seats are also common on business jets to provide a "conference" type layout. British Airways also has rearward-facing seats in its Club World (Intercontinental Business Class) Cabin. It has been argued that rearward facing seats are safer because in the event of a crash, the sudden deceleration will propel the passenger into a rearward facing seat instead of out of it. The force is therefore distributed over the entire seat back, instead of the straps of the seat belt. The argument against such seats has been based on passenger comfort, safety and cost. An argument against rearward seats has been that passengers who desire the natural layout of forward facing seats may be uncomfortable with a rearward layout. On the safety aspect, the argument has been that during a plane crash, debris such as luggage, will fly forward in the cabin, quite possibly into the passengers in rearward facing seats. On the cost aspect, rearward facing seats need additional strengthening which adds extra weight and therefore higher costs.

Many airlines provide maps of their seating configurations on the various aircraft they fly. SeatExpert.com and SeatGuru.com also show seat maps for a wide range of airlines and aircraft, along with descriptions of the best and worst seats on the aircraft.

When evaluating the size (and comfort) of a seat, the main terms used are pitch and width.

It is a common misunderstanding that "pitch" is the same as "legroom".

Seat pitch is an indication of legroom, referring to the space between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front of it. It is usually given in inches. For many carriers, the pitch in Economy class is 30 to 32 inches (76 to 81 cm). More seat pitch can mean more legroom, but it is also affected by the thickness of the seat back. Airlines have claimed that a reduction of seat pitch can be compensated for by a thinner seat-back design.

The largest seat pitch in any commercial airline's short-haul economy section is 37 inches (94 cm) in Finnair's Airbus A319s. American Airlines' business class seats in their Boeing 767-200s are 62 inches (160 cm), the largest in any short-haul business class. US Airways' first class flatbed seats in their Airbus A330-300s have a seat pitch of 94 inches (240 cm).

The seat pitch on low cost carriers can be 29 inches (74 cm) or 30 inches (76 cm). On Spirit Air it is 28 inches (71 cm)

Seat width is the distance from armrest to armrest, in Economy class this is typically around 43 centimeters (17 in).