Are All Long Haul Economy Classes the Same?
It is easy to think so.
Most airlines fly reasonably new and similar longhaul aircraft with a standard seating pitch.
Nearly all aircraft have a form of entertainment system and, while food may be basic, at least it is free.
Surely, the only thing that separates them is the price - so why not just book the cheapest? Well, we do not think that long haul Economy is anything like as homogeneous as it may appear.
There are significant differences between airlines - and quite often, differences within the same airline - so you can make your trip a great deal more comfortable by doing a little homework 1.
Reputation of the airline.
By this, we mean not just its reputation for safety but its organisational competence (actually the two are linked - a disorganised airline may well carry its lack of organisational skill into the maintenance hangar or flight deck).
Lufthansa may not be the world's glitziest airline but, if you have to be stuck in Sao Paulo because of an engine fault, it may be better to be in its hands than many other airlines'.
2.
Seating.
There is an obsession with seat pitch because it is easy to measure and compare but it is only one of a number of factors.
Seat width is important, as well as the numbers of seats per row.
For example, some aircraft may have a 2 x 5 x 2 configuration, which is preferable for couples to airlines that have 3 x 3 (or 4) x 3, but not particularly nice for those stuck in the middle.
Many Airbus aircraft can offer just a little more space in Economy and have better seating configurations than the Boeing equivalents.
The Boeing 777 is a particularly difficult aircraft.
BA has rows with nine seats, while many others, including Emirates, have ten.
This difference is very noticeable to passengers but will not be clear from simple figures regarding seat pitch.
If your journey involves two flights, do not assume that the standards will be the same on both aircraft.
There are significant differences between aircraft type with many airlines.
Emirates offers a particularly confusing range of configurations.
Whatever airline you are travelling with, you should check the specific aircraft in use on that route.
It is also worth comparing the seat plan with seat plans for the same aircraft from other airlines.
If you see that your airline has ten seats across in a cabin where another airline has just nine, you can make your own conclusions.
The only sensible place to look for seat plans is on the airline's website but you can use www.
seatguru.
com for general comparisons.
3.
Luggage allowance.
Not all airlines have the standard 20 kilo limit.
Some offer 21 or 23 kilos and a few - like Emirates and Gulf - offer 30 - and they all vary in the amount they charge for anything in excess.
Since all airlines will charge for even a kilo of extra weight nowadays, if you intend to travel with a lot of luggage, you should check the precise charges in advance.
It is quite possible for airlines on the same route to vary by £100 or more for what they would charge for just an extra 10 kilos.
Such a difference far outweighs any likely saving by comparing the price of a seat.
Remember that the airline standard maximum weight per case is now 32 kilos per piece, though a few airlines have a lower limit 4.
Catering.
All airlines have cut back on catering costs.
This is likely to be felt most significantly in the second meal, which may now just be a roll or biscuit.
Main meals should be rather better but there is substantial variation between airlines.
You can look at some examples at www.
airlinemeals.
net - though any examples more than a year old may not reflect current standards.
Some airlines from developing countries can seem a little more generous in what they offer and BA, Air France and Swiss are all relatively good.
If you are travelling across the Atlantic, you should note that US airlines charge for alcoholic drinks - so a couple of gins can make it worth flying with BA or Virgin.
If you like wine with your meal, some airlines, like BA, will serve you with a small bottle, while others will pour a glass - which is fine until you try to ask for another.
5.
Entertainment.
Some airlines like to boast about their in-flight entertainment, and yet in our experience only a small percentage of travellers make use of it for a significant part of the flight.
Unless you are one of the minority that turns the system on immediately after take-off and sits glued to the screen for the bulk of the flight, we do not think the entertainment system should be at the heart of your choice of airline.
We do, however, recommend avoiding airlines that still have central screens in Economy, partly because the lack of choice is annoying, as is the constant flickering of a film you are not watching, and because it suggests that, if the airline has not updated its entertainment system, it probably has not updated anything else in the cabin! Remember that airlines operate different types of aircraft, some with far better entertainment systems than others.
KLM varies from offering a full personal system on its 777s and A330s to just overhead projectors on its 747s.
Finally, if you have an airline frequent-flyer card, you should check what privileges you are allowed either with the airline itself or other alliance members if flying with one of them.
If you are allowed double the standard Economy luggage allowance (a regular perk for those with Silver cards), this could be a big cash saving if you are travelling with heavy luggage.
Most airlines fly reasonably new and similar longhaul aircraft with a standard seating pitch.
Nearly all aircraft have a form of entertainment system and, while food may be basic, at least it is free.
Surely, the only thing that separates them is the price - so why not just book the cheapest? Well, we do not think that long haul Economy is anything like as homogeneous as it may appear.
There are significant differences between airlines - and quite often, differences within the same airline - so you can make your trip a great deal more comfortable by doing a little homework 1.
Reputation of the airline.
By this, we mean not just its reputation for safety but its organisational competence (actually the two are linked - a disorganised airline may well carry its lack of organisational skill into the maintenance hangar or flight deck).
Lufthansa may not be the world's glitziest airline but, if you have to be stuck in Sao Paulo because of an engine fault, it may be better to be in its hands than many other airlines'.
2.
Seating.
There is an obsession with seat pitch because it is easy to measure and compare but it is only one of a number of factors.
Seat width is important, as well as the numbers of seats per row.
For example, some aircraft may have a 2 x 5 x 2 configuration, which is preferable for couples to airlines that have 3 x 3 (or 4) x 3, but not particularly nice for those stuck in the middle.
Many Airbus aircraft can offer just a little more space in Economy and have better seating configurations than the Boeing equivalents.
The Boeing 777 is a particularly difficult aircraft.
BA has rows with nine seats, while many others, including Emirates, have ten.
This difference is very noticeable to passengers but will not be clear from simple figures regarding seat pitch.
If your journey involves two flights, do not assume that the standards will be the same on both aircraft.
There are significant differences between aircraft type with many airlines.
Emirates offers a particularly confusing range of configurations.
Whatever airline you are travelling with, you should check the specific aircraft in use on that route.
It is also worth comparing the seat plan with seat plans for the same aircraft from other airlines.
If you see that your airline has ten seats across in a cabin where another airline has just nine, you can make your own conclusions.
The only sensible place to look for seat plans is on the airline's website but you can use www.
seatguru.
com for general comparisons.
3.
Luggage allowance.
Not all airlines have the standard 20 kilo limit.
Some offer 21 or 23 kilos and a few - like Emirates and Gulf - offer 30 - and they all vary in the amount they charge for anything in excess.
Since all airlines will charge for even a kilo of extra weight nowadays, if you intend to travel with a lot of luggage, you should check the precise charges in advance.
It is quite possible for airlines on the same route to vary by £100 or more for what they would charge for just an extra 10 kilos.
Such a difference far outweighs any likely saving by comparing the price of a seat.
Remember that the airline standard maximum weight per case is now 32 kilos per piece, though a few airlines have a lower limit 4.
Catering.
All airlines have cut back on catering costs.
This is likely to be felt most significantly in the second meal, which may now just be a roll or biscuit.
Main meals should be rather better but there is substantial variation between airlines.
You can look at some examples at www.
airlinemeals.
net - though any examples more than a year old may not reflect current standards.
Some airlines from developing countries can seem a little more generous in what they offer and BA, Air France and Swiss are all relatively good.
If you are travelling across the Atlantic, you should note that US airlines charge for alcoholic drinks - so a couple of gins can make it worth flying with BA or Virgin.
If you like wine with your meal, some airlines, like BA, will serve you with a small bottle, while others will pour a glass - which is fine until you try to ask for another.
5.
Entertainment.
Some airlines like to boast about their in-flight entertainment, and yet in our experience only a small percentage of travellers make use of it for a significant part of the flight.
Unless you are one of the minority that turns the system on immediately after take-off and sits glued to the screen for the bulk of the flight, we do not think the entertainment system should be at the heart of your choice of airline.
We do, however, recommend avoiding airlines that still have central screens in Economy, partly because the lack of choice is annoying, as is the constant flickering of a film you are not watching, and because it suggests that, if the airline has not updated its entertainment system, it probably has not updated anything else in the cabin! Remember that airlines operate different types of aircraft, some with far better entertainment systems than others.
KLM varies from offering a full personal system on its 777s and A330s to just overhead projectors on its 747s.
Finally, if you have an airline frequent-flyer card, you should check what privileges you are allowed either with the airline itself or other alliance members if flying with one of them.
If you are allowed double the standard Economy luggage allowance (a regular perk for those with Silver cards), this could be a big cash saving if you are travelling with heavy luggage.