Many airlines fly transatlantic routes, and even Singapore Airlines is technically a transatlantic airline as it operates a flight from Frankfurt to New York-JFK. This list will consider seven of the leading transatlantic mainline carriers: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, and Air France. Flights between North America and Europe are generally classed as long-haul flights, although they are not as long as those across the Pacific.
The article will also consider the premium economy seats on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners except for Delta, which doesn’t operate the type. Overall, there is not much difference in personal space between these airlines, although Air France appears to have an edge. Other perks like increased baggage allowance, priority check-ins, and more are largely consistent across the mainline carriers. Here is what to know about the most spacious premium economy seats you can book on transatlantic routes today.
7
British Airways
39 Recaro PL3530 premium seats
British Airways aircraft are typically lightly configured with comparatively few seats, as there is an emphasis on higher-class seats. For example, Boeing advertises that the Boeing 787-9 has a typical two-class seating capacity of 296. However, British Airways only configures these aircraft with 216 passenger seats (eight first class, 42 business class, 39 premium economy, and 127 economy class).
British Airways’ premium economy is called World Traveler Plus. This class offers a quieter, more spacious cabin with fewer rows. The airline said its “seats on our premium economy flights are wider, with greater recline, lumbar support, a head and foot rest, plus extra leg room to stretch out.” Meanwhile, premium economy passengers get double the baggage allowance as well as other perks.
According to AeroLOPA, the premium economy seats on the 787-9s are Recaro PL3530 seats arranged 2-3-2. These come with four-way adjustable headrests and a retractable bi-folding table. The row pitch is 38 inches, and the seat width is 18.7 inches. The seat recline is 10 inches. As with other airlines, British Airways is also in the process of refreshing its premium economy class.
6
Virgin Atlantic
35 Sixty Aerospace Reverb premium seats
Virgin Atlantic is the main domestic competition with British Airways and is notable for exclusively operating a fleet of widebody aircraft. Virgin Atlantic is heavily focused on transatlantic destinations and longer-haul flights. Virgin’s premium economy is called “Premium” and is a worthy competitor to British Airways’ World Traveller Plus in many ways. It also offered premium passengers double the checked luggage.
“It’s the little touches here and there…” the airline states. “Those extra few inches of space, a glass of bubbly as you board, and a tasty meal served on china crockery with proper cutlery. Just enough to give you a big lift before you get to your destination.”
One notable difference between Virgin and BA configurations is that Virgin does not offer first class.
|
Airline (per AeroLOPA) |
Seat pitch (inches) |
Seat width (inches) |
Seat recline (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
British Airways |
38 |
18.7 |
10 |
|
Virgin Atlantic |
38 |
18.7 |
8 |
|
Delta Air Lines |
38 |
18.5 |
7 |
|
United Airlines |
38 |
18.7 |
6 |
|
Lufthansa |
38 |
18.7 |
7 |
|
Air France |
40 |
19 |
130° |
|
American Airlines |
38 |
19 |
8 |
Virgin’s Boeing 787-9s are configured with 31 business class seats, 35 premium economy seats, and 192 economy class seats for a total of 258, making them significantly denser than their BA counterparts. Premium economy seats are Sixty Aerospace (now Safran GB) Reverb leather upholstered seats configured 2-3-2. The row pitch is 38 inches, the seat width is 18.7 inches, and the seat recline is eight inches.
The 5 Most Comfortable Transatlantic Premium Economy Seats You Can Book Today
Many transatlantic airlines are offering more comfortable seating options as the class becomes more popular.
5
Delta Air Lines
40-48 Collins MiQ premium economy (A350-900)
Delta’s premium economy is called Delta Premium Select. The seats are almost the same as those found on the domestic first class Airbus A220s. Put another way, in this case, Premium Select is essentially the same as Delta First, though it has a leg rest and a bit more recline.
Note that for seating configuration purposes, some domestic routes (e.g., to Hawaii and LAX-JFK) are configured international, while some international flights (e.g., to Canada and Mexico) are configured domestic. Premium passengers can choose between Classic and Extra. There is no difference in the seats themselves, but Extra allows passengers to earn more points, offers more flexibility when canceling, and includes other perks.
Delta Premium Select features Collins MiQ premium economy seats. Distinctly, Delta does not operate Boeing 787s and instead relies on A330s, A350s, and a dwindling fleet of 767s. On the A350-900s, premium economy seats are configured 2-4-2 and have a four-way adjustable headrest. They come with a row pitch of 38 inches, a seat width of 18.5 inches. The seat recline is up to seven inches.
4
United Airlines
21-35 Collins Aerospace MiQ premium seats
As can be expected with other airlines, United Premium Plus passengers enjoy priority check-in, priority boarding, exclusive security lanes, and priority bag handling while at the airport. On the airplane, they enjoy upgraded meals and dinnerware, with free wine, beer, and spirits. As it’s typical in the class, passengers are provided with noise-canceling headphones.
These seats are Collins Aerospace MiQ seats configured 2-3-2. They come with the industry-standard seat pitch of 38 inches, a seat width of 18.7 inches, and a shallower seat recline of up to six inches. United and Delta are considered the two premium mainline US-based carriers, ahead of American.
United Premium Plus is available on all widebody aircraft flying on international routes. United often uses narrowbody aircraft for its Mexico, Canada, and Caribbean routes. It is available on some domestic routes, but this depends on the specific transcontinental route. According to Skytrax’s 2025 list of the best airlines, Air Canada is ranked as the best North American airline. Delta comes second, followed by Porter Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Alaska Airlines. American Airlines did not appear in the top ten.
3
Lufthansa
21 Collins Aerospace MiQ premium seats
Lufthansa is the flag carrier of Germany, and the premium carrier is in the process of rolling out its new Allegris cabin that comes with the refreshed Allegris Premium Economy. The existing Premium Economy seats are Collins Aerospace MiQ seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration. They have a row pitch of 38 inches, a seat width of 18.7 inches, and a seat recline of seven inches. Lufthansa says the new Allegris Premium Economy seats will have a seat pitch of 39 inches. It’s unclear if this is an inch more space in seat pitch or a matter of rounding.
Premium economy passengers have up to 50% more personal space than economy class passengers, are able to check in two 50 lbs (23 kg) bags, and are greeted with a welcome drink. Lufthansa is notable for operating three types of quad-engined widebody aircraft: the A340, the A380, and the Boeing 747-8/-400. Lufthansa is the largest operator of passenger Jumbos by a considerable margin.
The Airlines That Offer Plenty Of Premium Economy Seats On US Flights To Europe
While premium economy isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly represents an important market on the transatlantic corridor.
2
Air France
21 Safran Airgo FX premium seats
Air France Premium Economy passengers do not benefit from complimentary lounge access. Air France’s premium economy seats are Safran Airgo FX fixed-shell seats arranged 2-3-2. Its Boeing 787-9s are configured with 30 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 228 economy class seats.
Safran Airgo FX seats provide lumbar support, a footrest, and an individual goose-neck reading light. Of all the premium seats on this list, Air France is an outlier. Its seats offer two inches more row pitch than most (40 inches), they are slightly wider (19 inches), and offer a generous 130° recline.
As with other airlines, passengers can expect priority service at the airport, a welcome Champagne drink, extra checked luggage allowance, an enhanced in-flight service, noise-cancelling headphones, and more. Air France’s widebody fleet is made up of A330s, A350s, Boeing 777s, and 787-9s. Air France was an operator of the Airbus A380 Superjumbo, but it was one of the first to permanently offload those expensive aircraft during the pandemic.
1
American Airlines
21 Collins Aerospace MiQ/32 Safran Z535i
American Airlines’ premium economy class is helpfully called Premium Economy. As with Delta and United, American’s Premium Economy is available on select international and domestic routes with its fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs, 787-9s, 787-8s, and 777-200ERs. It is only available on the 787-8s that fly internationally and to Alaska; interestingly, Delta’s flights to Alaska are typically domestically-configured.
Whereas Delta is notable for not ordering the Boeing 777 or Boeing 787, American has only ordered those jets as its widebody aircraft and has not ordered Airbus widebodies. American Airlines is currently rolling out a new cabin featuring its new Flagship Suite (based on the Adient Ascent) in business class and a refreshed premium economy class.
The refreshed premium economy features 32 Safran Z535i recliner seats configured 2-3-2. These come with a row pitch of 38 inches, a seat width of 19 inches, and a seat recline of eight inches. Boeing 787-9s with the older configuration come with 21 premium economy seats featuring Collins Aerospace MiQ seats. These have the same space dimensions (38-inch row pitch, 19-inch seat width, 8-inch recline).
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