Who has the widest seats?

[chornedsnorkack]

Which airline, which manufacturer, which frame offers the widest 1st class seats?

Have a look at Douglas DC-10 , as offered in http://www.boeing.com/commercial/air...s/dc10sec2.pdf page 17. They offer 54 inch seat pairs and 31 inch aisles.

On MD-11 http://www.boeing.com/commercial/air...s/md11sec2.pdf page 13 you will find 57 inch seat pairs (specified as 2 21,5 inch seatbacks of 43 inches and 14 inches for 8 inch centre armrest, 2 3 inch side rests) with 26,5 inch aisles.

Looks like Mcdonnell figured out 1st Class prefers wider seats, less space wasted to aisles

Boeing 787 : See http://www.boeing.com/commercial/air...ps/787sec2.pdf page 9. You can get 57 inch seat pairs into a Dreamliner, too, if you accept 22 inch for aisles. Boeing, however, specifies 21 inch seatbacks - presumably 15 inches for armrests.

Boeing 767 : See http://www.boeing.com/commercial/air...ps/767sec2.pdf page 25. You can get 2 57 inch seat pairs and a solo 29 inch seat in by leaving 21 inch aisles.

You don´t even need a widebody. Regarding the Boeing 737, see:
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/air...ps/737sec2.pdf , page 56. Still 57 inch seatpairs - and seatbacks are specified as 22,0 inch each.

Boeing 777 has 1st class seats no wider than 787: 3 57 inch pairs, specified as 2 21' seatbacks like 787 and 15' for 8' centre armrest, 3,5' side armrests. All the extra space goes to make aisles 29' wide. See http://www.boeing.com/commercial/air...s/777rsec2.pdf page 13.

Boeing 747: See http://www.boeing.com/commercial/air...s/7474sec2.pdf page 29. The same 57 inch seat pairs. Extra space goes to make aisles 34 inch wide.

Airbus A380 See http://www.content.airbusworld.com/S...LT/AC_A380.pdf page 31. Still the same 57 inch seats - all extra space goes to 38 inch aisles.

Are there any better seats around?

Boeing is the only one to show 4 abreast in their 787 description - specifying 30' aisles. They do not specify seat width, but it computes as about 39'.

But 4 abreast 1st Class is pretty popular actually on many A340 and B777 operators. And JAL has 3 abreast Skysleeper Solo on 777.

But from pictures, the aisles and armrests look big. Which airline actually offers the widest beds, as opposed to space spent elsewhere?

Cathay Pacific and Singapore just announced new seats, and boast of the width. What are they actually like, and how do they compare?

[Cyrano]

Originally Posted by chornedsnorkack

Cathay Pacific and Singapore just announced new seats, and boast of the width. What are they actually like, and how do they compare?

Not sure about CX (their new C class product looks comfortable but mainstream, a bit like AF or LH) but SQ says their new F class seat is 35 inches wide and their new C class seat is "at least 30 inches" wide. There's lots of detail on their web site.

4-abreast C class on a 777 is pretty impressive, I have to say, especially if compared for example to BA's 8-abreast C cabin on their 777s! Not due to start coming into the SQ fleet until December, though, but it does look as though it trumps all the others.

C. (looking forward to a better onboard experience)

[chornedsnorkack]

Bench, couch?

Originally Posted by Cyrano

Not sure about CX (their new C class product looks comfortable but mainstream, a bit like AF or LH) but SQ says their new F class seat is 35 inches wide and their new C class seat is "at least 30 inches" wide. There's lots of detail on their web site.

How wide can a "seat" be and from which width would it be defined as a "bench" or a "couch"?

Not that a couch cannot be comfortable... they can be, which is why they are found at homes, as well as aboard private airplanes.

[Cyrano]

Originally Posted by chornedsnorkack

How wide can a "seat" be and from which width would it be defined as a "bench" or a "couch"?

Probably from the point when it is sold as two seats rather than one!

[chornedsnorkack]

Originally Posted by Cyrano

Probably from the point when it is sold as two seats rather than one!

Like this?
http://www.mcguinnessonline.com/burt/images/paa9z.jpg

or this
http://www.postcardpost.com/cw17.jpg

[PAXboy]

There are two classic locations: SeatGuru who have comparison tables and Seat Expert. (Mods, I don't think this breaks rules? If not, my apologies)

[chornedsnorkack]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

There are two classic locations: SeatGuru who have comparison tables and Seat Expert. (Mods, I don't think this breaks rules? If not, my apologies)

Seatguru 1st class comparison suggests ANA has 33 inch seats.
Looking at
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1006243/L/

does not give much more spacious impression than many other First Classes.

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by chornedsnorkack

Boeing 777 has 1st class seats no wider than 787: 3 57 inch pairs, specified as 2 21' seatbacks like 787 and 15' for 8' centre armrest, 3,5' side armrests. All the extra space goes to make aisles 29' wide.

777s are bigger than I thought then!

29 foot aisles, 3.5 foot side armrests, 8 foot center armrests, etc.

or did you mean "

[chornedsnorkack]

Originally Posted by patdavies

or did you mean "

Indeed, ''. With the natural exception of the Air Brobdingrag frames.

[spiney]

Beyond a certain limit I don't really see what the point is... I remember BWee used to have these absolutely massive seats in their L1011's - but they were as hard as sitting on a pile of concrete blocks and the noise in the cabin also was a bit similar to being on a building site... oh yes and the cabin
'experience' was similar to being abused by a bunch of builders... Ahh them were the days... Lockheed L1011 - great cargo plane, sadly no use whatsoever for transporting humans...

[chornedsnorkack]

Originally Posted by spiney

Beyond a certain limit I don't really see what the point is... I remember BWee used to have these absolutely massive seats in their L1011's - but they were as hard as sitting on a pile of concrete blocks

Are the new Cathay and Singapore seats beyond that limit? And what about the United benches depicted above?

If two boys can sit on a seat and leave free space, I suspect it gets difficult to use both armrests at a time - even if the seat and seatbacks are soft...