A Guide To Long-Haul Business Class Seats

There are dozens of business class seat models on the market that are made by a variety of different seat manufacturers. Some airlines use completely customized business class seats that almost no other airlines in the world use. The first to come to mind are British Airways and their old business class seat, Singapore Airlines’ 777s, A350s, and A380s, and Qatar Airways’ QSuites. However, most airlines use standard seat models which are made by seat manufacturers, such as Rockwell Collins, Recaro, or Safran. Airlines usually then customize minor details of the seat, such as the seat covers and other minor details, while the bare bones of the seat remain the same. Other times, airlines use an off-the-shelf seat model but highly modify them, such as Cathay’s and American’s highly modified versions of the Zodiac Cirus.

Some companies make seats that are almost identical to each other, such as staggered seats or reverse herringbone seats, although others are very different. Some seats are nearly identical to each other, such as the Safran Skylounge and the Stelia Solstys, or the Zodiac Cirrus and the Rockwell Collins Super Diamond. I will only be covering the different types of lie-flat seats in this article, and won’t be covering the different seat types of recliner seats, as the ones that can be found on short-haul US flights because they are too similar to each other. In this article, I will list the most popular long-haul business class seats, the pros, and cons of each of them, and which airlines operate the seats.

Rockwell Collins Diamond Seat

• Manufacturer: Rockwell Collins
• Configuration: 2-2-2 (777, 787, A350), 2-1-2 (767), 2-2 (757)
• Seat Type: Forward Facing
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front
• Introduced: Mid 2000s with Continental Airlines (777)
• Pros: 180 degrees lie-flat, depending on configuration gives a reasonable amount of privacy, densest lie-flat configuration (a pro for airlines, con for consumers), easy to talk to your neighbor
• Cons: Not all-aisle access (have to climb over your neighbor), very narrow footwell, tight sleeping space, comparatively limited privacy compared to other seats, not much storage space, narrow seats
• What Airlines Use It? United Airlines (757-200, 767, 777-200, 787-8/9), American Airlines (757-200, A321T), Delta Air Lines (757-200), Qatar Airways (A330, A320 Retrofit), Ethiopian Airlines (787, A350), EVA Air (A330 Retrofit), Air Tahiti Nui (787), La Compagnie (A321LR), Royal Jordanian (787), KLM (777, A330, 747), Lufthansa (all long-haul aircraft, highly modified), Shenzhen Airlines (A330s), Saudia (some 777s and A330s)
• My Take: The Diamond seat is a solid fully flat seat. However, it’s probably one of the worst (or the worst) fully lie-flat seat on the market due to its lack of privacy and denseness. However, it is a better option for couples than some seats where there is almost no way to talk to someone else next to you.
• Reviews: United 767 Polaris IAD – AMS, Lufthansa A340-600 Business Class CPT – MUC

Rockwell Collins Super Diamond Seat

• Manufacturer: Rockwell Collins
• Configuration: 1-2-1 (777, 787, A380, A350)
• Seat Type: Reverse Herringbone
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front
• Introduced: Air Canada (early 2010s)
• Pros: A large amount of personal space and privacy with lots of storage areas and all aisle access; all seats are equal in terms of privacy, personal space, and comfort, unlike staggered seats; closed doors on British Airways’ A350-100s; large IFE screen; 180 degrees lie flat
• Cons: Can’t easily talk to someone else whom you are traveling with
• What Airlines Use It? Qatar Airways (A350-900, 787, A380), China Airlines (A350, 777), American Airlines (787-9, 777-300), British Airways (A350-1000), Hong Kong Airlines (New A350-900), Egyptair (787), Virgin Atlantic (A350-1000), Virgin Australia (777, A330), Garuda Indonesia (select A330s), Air China (A350-900s), Air Canada (787s, 777s), Hainan Airlines (new 787-9s), WestJet (787-9s), Saudia (some 777s)
• My Take: The Super Diamond is probably one of the best (if not the best) off-the-shelf seat model on the market. It provides a ton of room and privacy for passengers and doesn’t have the small footwell problems like the Parallel Diamond seat does. With the closed suites that British Airways installed on their A350s, that version of the seat might be the world’s best business class seat.

Thompson Vantage

• Manufacturer: Thompson Aero
• Configuration: 1-2-1 (767, 777, A330), 1-2-2 (777, A330), 2-2-2 (777), 2-2 (737, A321), 1-1 (737, A321)
• Seat Configuration: Staggered
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front
• Pros: On the 767, passengers have all aisle access; the seat fully lies flat; throne seats (seats that are in between two banks of two and are alone and staggered in the way that gives the seat much more personal space – only occurs on 777s, A350s, and A330s); a significant amount of personal storage
• Cons: The seats don’t have all aisle access on most aircraft with most window seats not having direct access to the aisle; the seat has a very restrictive footwell which makes the seat tight; throne seats are vastly superior to most other seats; some seats are a lot more private than others
• What Airlines Use It? Aer Lingus (A330s, 757s, A321LRs), Brussels Airlines (A330s), British Airways (medium-haul A321s), Malaysia Airlines (A330-300s, A350-900s), Delta Air Lines (767s, A330neos with closed doors), American Airlines (767s), Air Astana (767s), Air Belgium (A340s), SWISS (A330s, A340s, 777s), Edelweiss Air (A330s, A340s), Flydubai (737 MAX), JetBlue (A321T), Austrian Airlines (767s, 777s), Atlantic Airways (New 767s), Finnair (A330s), Japan Airlines (international 767s)
• My Take: The Thompson Vantage is a fully flat seat and is a step above seats such as the Rockwell Collins Parallel Diamond. You may have been confused about the different configurations that I listed above. That is because the configuration varies in the same cabin where the Thompson Vantage is in use. For example, on the A330, one row is configured in a 1-2-2 configuration, but the next row is configured in a 1-2-1 configuration because the configuration is staggered. The vast majority of seats get access to the aisle, although there are a few unlucky window seats that don’t. Please note that Delta uses a highly modified version of this seat on their A330neos in a 1-2-1 configuration that are equipped with closed doors.
• Reviews: Coming Soon: Aer Lingus A330-200 Business Class

Thompson Vantage XL

• Manufacturer: Thompson Aero
• Configuration: 1-2-1 (A330, 777, A340, 787, A380, 767)
• Seat Configuration: Staggered
• Introduction: SAS (date unknown)
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front
• Pros: A ton of personal space and storage; good seat width; a lot of privacy, all aisle access; fully flat seats; doors on Delta’s A350s, A330neos, 777s and on China Eastern’s 787s, A350s; comfortable seats
• Cons: Not easy to talk to a partner, less storage and smaller footwells for all non-bulkhead seats, seats closer to the aisle and window are a lot more private
• What Airlines Use It? SAS (A330s, A340s), Qantas (A330s, 787s, A380s to be reconfigured with the seats), South African (A330-300s), Philippine Airlines (some A330-300s, A350s), LATAM (some 767-300s), Delta Air Lines (A350, some 777s, with doors), China Eastern/Shanghai Airlines (A330s, 787s & A350s with doors), Juneyao Airlines (787s), Rwandair (A330s)
• My Take: Having just flown on it, the Thompson Vantage XL is the best of all staggered seats on the market. That is because it has a much larger amount of space and privacy than other staggered seats such as the regular Thompson Vantage or the Stelia Solstys. Additionally, you will want to choose a bulkhead seat if traveling in the Thompson Vantage XL, as they have much larger footwells and have an additional storage compartment under it. Two Airlines – Delta and China Eastern – opted to put doors onto the seat, making the suites have closed doors, which makes the seat possibly the best off-the-shelf business class seat on the market.
• Reviews: Delta One A350 DTW – ICN, Coming Soon: South African A330-300 Business Class

Zodiac (Now Safran) Cirrus

• Manufacturer: Safran Seats (Formerly Zodiac)
• Configuration: 1-2-1 (A330, 777, A340, 787, A380)
• Seat Configuration: Reverse Herringbone
• Introduction: US Airways
• IFE Screen: Flips out of the seat in front
• Pros: A lot of personal space and a vast amount of storage; all aisle access; fully flat bed seats; all seats are equal (besides the fact that middle seats don’t have a window) – no seat has less legroom, privacy, personal space, or comfort than any other seat in the cabin
• Cons: Not gate to gate IFE as the screen flips out of the seat in front of it; not as easy to communicate with a partner; in some configurations, especially on narrower aircraft (787, A330), the footwells are known to be extremely tight
• What Airlines Use It? Air France (777s, 787s), Cathay Pacific (A330s, 777s, A350s), American Airlines (A330s – older version -, 777-300ERs & A321 First Class (same version as Cathay), Delta Air Lines (A330s), KLM (787-9s), Finnair (A350s), Sri Lankan Airlines (A330-300s), Vietnam Airlines (Boeing 787-9s, some A350-900s), China Eastern (777s), Thai Airways (787-9s), Avianca (787s, some A330s), Iran Air (A330-200s), EVA Air (777s), China Eastern (some A330s)
• My Take: The Safran Cirrus is very similar to the Rockwell Collins Super Diamond, but does have a few differences. The main one that I think makes it inferior is that the entertainment screen flips out of the side of the seat, instead of being in a fixed spot. However, the seat still is very good for business class products as all seats have access to the aisle and it has a good amount of privacy.

Zodiac (Now Safran) Aura

• Manufacturer: Safran Seats (Formerly Zodiac)
• Configuration: 2-2-2 (A330, 787), 2-3-2 (777)
• Seat Configuration: Forward Facing
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front
• Pros: No tight footwells – just a large foot cubby to put your feet while sleeping which gives you more sleeping space; easy to talk to a person who you are traveling with; fully lie-flat seats
• Cons: Not much privacy at all; not all-aisle access; some versions of the seat such as on Ethiopian Airlines’ 787s aren’t 100% fully flat; not much storage
• What Airlines Use It? Ethiopian Airlines (787s, 777s), Turkish Airlines (some A330-200s and A330-300s, all 777s), Hainan Airlines (some 787s), LOT Polish Airlines (787s), Xiamen Airlines (787-8s), TAAG Angola (newer 777s), Kenya Airways (787s), Air India (787s), Phillippine Airlines (newer 777s), Air China (A330s), China Southern (some A330s), Azerbaijan Airlines (787s), Uzbekistan Airlines (787s), LATAM (787-9s),
• My Take: The Aura Lite seat is in no way industry-leading and it also is one of the least dense seats in business class seats that doesn’t have all aisle access. That does give the seat a larger area of sleeping surface than the Rockwell Collins Parallel Diamond seat has. However, there are a lot of seats that don’t have direct aisle access and does make the seat not up to standards in 2019, where for the amount of money you pay, you really should expect a seat with aisle access. That being said, if you are traveling with a companion, the seats can be very convenient as you can talk to another person sitting next to you very easily.

Stelia Solstys

• Manufacturer: Stelia Aerospace (with Airbus)
• Configuration: 1-2-1
• Seat Configuration: Staggered
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front
• Pros: No tight footwells, all aisle access; fully flat seats; easy to talk to a companion if you are seated in the honeymoon seats in the center area of the aircraft; a decent amount of both storage and privacy
• Cons: Seats not created equally – you feel very close (sometimes almost as if you are in the aisle) to the aisle if you are not seated in a true window seat (closest to the window) or honeymoon seat
• What Airlines Use It? Hong Kong Airlines (some A330s, A350s), Hainan Airlines (some A330-300s, A350s), Etihad Airways (777s, A330s), Alitalia (777s, A330s), Malaysia Airlines (A330-200s), Virgin Atlantic (A330-200s), Singapore Airlines (787-10s – newer version – Solstys iii), Asiana Airlines (A380s, 777s, A350s), Turkish Airlines (787s – newer version – Opal), Iberia (A330s, A340s), Emirates (A380s – highly modified), Vietnam Airlines (some A350s), Azul (A330-200s), Air Mauritius (A350s, A330neos), Air Senegal (newer version – A330neo), Thai Airways (A380s, 777-300ERs), Garuda Indonesia (777-300ERs), China Southern Airlines (various aircraft)
• My Take: Stelia Aerospace actually has made multiple versions of the Solstys seats. The original is featured on the majority of airlines listed above. I flew the seats this March on Hong Kong Airlines – the one thing that I can say about it is that the in-flight experience highly depends on which seats you select. As said up above the seats near the window and in the center of the aircraft (the “honeymoon” seats) are far superior to the seats towards the aisle, which feel much more exposed. The seats aren’t that private, although with some of the newer models – on Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines – the seats feature a lot more privacy and personal space than the older versions and also feel a lot more modern.
• Reviews: Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A350 SFO – HKG, Hong Kong Airlines A350 HKG – PVG

B/E Aerospace Minipod

• Manufacturer: B/E Aerospace (model discontinued)
• Configuration: 2-2-2 (A330, A380, A340), 2-3-2 (777)
• Seat Configuration: Forward Facing Angle Flat (some configurations) or fully flat
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front or in the armrest
• Pros: Some configurations are fully and horizontally flat; easy to talk to a neighbor, no restrictive footwells (most configurations)
• Cons: Many configurations are slightly or very angled, the configuration does not have all aisle access; not much storage or privacy
• What Airlines Use It? Korean Air (slightly angled – A380s, some A330s &777s), Air France (angled – A380s, A340s, some 777s & A330s), Air Italy (A330s), Qatar Airways (not retrofitted A330s and 777s), Aer Lingus (one ex-Qatar A330), British Airways (fully flat – A318s), Qantas (fully flat – 747s, A380s), Aircalin (A330s), Aeroflot (some A330s), Air Asia X (A330-300s), Japan Airlines (some 787-8s), Emirates (most 777-300ERs), Egyptair (777s, A330s), Thai Airways (some 747s and A330s), Garuda Indonesia (some A330s)
• My Take: The B/E Aerospace (now Rockwell Collins, but they never made the seat) Minipod is one of the most popular business class seats on the market. It was the predecessor to the Diamond family of seats, and in most configurations isn’t fully flat. Many airlines operate generic versions of the seat (which are almost fully flat, although have a slight angle) – most prominently being Korean Air. However, other airlines operate highly modified versions of the seat. The first that comes to mind is Emirates, which put faux wood on the seats and gave large privacy dividers – you almost can’t even tell that the seat uses the Minipod model! Air France, on the other hand, used a very angled and dense version of the seat (with footwells) on most of the long-haul aircraft. I don’t think that the seat is in production anymore, but it surely will remain on aircraft for many years. However, most of the time you should probably avoid the Minipod as most versions of the seat are angle flat (if only slightly), which really does make the seat unacceptable in 2019.
• Reviews: Korean Air 777 Business Class HKG – ICN

Apex (Now Serenity) Suites

• Manufacturer: Rockwell Collins
• Configuration: 2-2-2 (A330, 787, 777), 2-3-2 (777)
• Seat Configuration: Forward Facing
• IFE Screen: In the seat in front
• Pros: Tons of privacy if you have a window seat; a decent amount of privacy in aisle seats; lots of personal storage; fully flat; all aisle access; easy to talk to a neighbor if you have seats next to each other; no restrictive footwells; originally designed as a first-class seat
• Cons: Aisle seats do not have as much privacy as window seats; seats are among the least dense seats in business class; used as a first-class seat on Korean’s 787s
• What Airlines Use It? Korean Air (787s in first and business class, some 777-300ERs, some A330s), Japan Airlines (some 777-300ERs, some 787s), Oman Air (A330s and 787s), Gulf Air (787s)
• My Take: The Apex Suites are some of the best if not the best business class seats on the market. A reason why the seats are so good is that this isn’t a standard 2-2-2 configuration. The seats are staggered so that every seat has access to the aisle. That means that the window seats have a tremendous amount of privacy – almost as much as if you had a closed suite. This is because you have to walk through a little aisle to get to the window seat, and there is a large privacy divider that you can pull up in between seats. That gives the window seats a huge amount of privacy, as seen in the photo above. Additionally, the seats have a ton of personal space and storage and don’t have the restrictive footwells that many seats have.
• Reviews: Korean Air 787 Business Class ICN – HKG

Other Seats

Above I covered the top 9 popular business class seats that airlines use on their long-haul flights. However, those 9 products definitely don’t cover all of the different types of business class seat models that airlines have. For example, I didn’t at all talk about possibly the best of them all – the Qatar Airways Qsuite. That was because Qatar Airways is the only airline that operates that custom seat, and even though it has closed doors and can make a 4 person suite, it still is only operated by one airline and isn’t an off the shelf seat, like the 9 seats above. Additionally, I didn’t cover the United Polaris seats, otherwise known as the Zodiac Optima. Again, that seat is only operated by one airline – United, although Air France will start using a version of that seat on their A350s this year. There also is the Stelia Equinox on Royal Air Maroc’s and Air Europa’s 787s (along with other airlines), the angled Zodiac Majesty and Zodiac Weber seats, and the Zodiac Concept D on American Airlines’ 787-8s and some 777-200s.

There also are a lot of other staggered seats that are similar to the Thompson Vantage or the Stelia Solstys. However, none of them are operated by a large number of airlines. For example, the Safran Skylounge is used on almost all of ANA’s long-haul aircraft, although I can only think of one other airline that uses that seat – China Southern Airlines. The Recaro CL6710 is also a great staggered business class seat, although it is now only used on three airlines – El Al, TAP Portugal, and Azul, and only on a fraction of each of those airlines’ aircraft.

Conclusion

There are nearly infinite numbers of business class seat models on the market, although a lot of them are only used on a couple of airlines and I couldn’t possibly cover all of them in this article. In fact, I was only able to cover a fraction of the aircraft seats on the market – the ones that I find most interesting – long-haul business class seats. However, I hope that in this article I was able to cover most of the major business class seats found on most airlines, and what’s good and bad about each of them. We’ve come a long way from when long-haul business class only featured recliner seats, and business class will continue to keep getting better and better over the next years.

What is your favorite long-haul business class seat?