FLIGHTGAP
CABINS

How FlightGap reads each cabin.

Every result card pulls its seat, bag, meal, and lounge facts from this dictionary so two cabins on the same flight are always compared on equal terms.

Y

Economy

Seat
Standard recline · 17-19″ width
Pitch
28-32″ pitch
Bags
1 personal item · checked extra
Meal
Standard tray meal
Lounge
Paid access

Baseline cabin used in every GapScore comparison.

W

Premium economy

Seat
Wider recline · 18-19″ width
Pitch
36-40″ pitch
Bags
1 carry-on + 1 checked
Meal
Upgraded meal + welcome drink
Lounge
Selective access

Shown as a side card when the same flight sells the cabin.

C

Business

Seat
Lie-flat or angled-flat · 20-23″ width
Pitch
78-85″ pitch (lie-flat)
Bags
2 carry-on + 2 checked
Meal
Hot meal + à la carte + bar
Lounge
Included

Same-flight match is required to score a Business gap.

F

First

Seat
Suite · doors on select carriers
Pitch
82-95″ pitch
Bags
3+ checked
Meal
Multi-course + signature dining
Lounge
First lounge + spa

Shown for context. Not used in the default compare flow.

Seat types we score

Two cabins with the same name can be very different products. The seat type is one of the five inputs to GapScore. Lie-flat earns the most credit, slim economy the least.

Lie-flat

Full 180° bed. Direct aisle access on 1-2-1 layouts. Standard on long-haul business and most first.

Examples: Qatar Qsuite, Singapore Business 2018, ANA The Room, JAL Sky Suite

Angled-flat

Reclines flat but on a slope of 8-15°. Sleeps shorter than lie-flat. Common on older 767/A330 fleets.

Examples: Some Air China, China Eastern, Avianca, older Aeroflot

Recliner

Domestic and short-haul business. 5-7″ extra recline over economy. No bed mode.

Examples: American Airlines domestic First, Delta Domestic First, Iberia Business short-haul

Slim economy

Standard transcontinental and short-haul cabin. 17-18″ width, 30-31″ pitch.

Examples: Most A320 / 737 economy worldwide

Airlines known for value business

Routes where same-flight business often lands at 1.5x to 2x economy instead of the usual 3x to 5x. Use these as your seed list when you start watching for a gap.

  • La CompagnieCDG / ORY → EWR

    All-business 757. Sale fares from ~$2,400 RT.

  • TAP PortugalLIS → BOS / JFK / MIA

    Often $675+ one-way Europe to US.

  • Aer LingusDUB → BOS / JFK

    Lie-flat business at premium-economy money in shoulder months.

  • TurkishIST → anywhere

    Istanbul as a gap-arbitrage hub. Lie-flat 1-2-1 on 777.

  • LATAMSCL / GRU → MIA / JFK

    Lie-flat 1-2-1 to South America from $1,500 RT.

  • Oman AirMCT → LHR / BKK

    Apex Suite on 787-9. Often half the price of Emirates.

CABIN FAQ

Cabin questions, answered.

01Y

How wide is a standard economy seat?

17 to 19 inches between armrests. Pitch is the seat-to-seat distance: 28 inches on a budget short-haul, 31 inches on most long-haul. 32 inches and up is considered comfortable.

02W

Is premium economy worth it?

On flights over 6 hours, yes. On flights under 4 hours, the extra cost rarely beats paying for an exit row or extra-legroom seat in economy. FlightGap surfaces premium economy as a side card when the same flight sells the cabin.

03C

Lie-flat vs angled-flat: how much does it matter?

On red-eye and overnight flights it matters a lot. An angled-flat 8-15° slope causes you to slide down during sleep. On day flights under 8 hours the gap is smaller. The cabin dictionary feeds this into GapScore.

04C

What is direct aisle access?

Every business seat has its own path to the aisle, no climbing over a neighbour. Standard on 1-2-1 and 1-1-1 layouts (Qsuite, Apex, Polaris). Missing on most 2-2-2 layouts (older Cathay Pacific, some Emirates 777).

05F

Is first class still worth it in 2026?

Most carriers retired first class or merged it into a premium business product. Where it still runs (Emirates, ANA, JAL, Singapore, Lufthansa, Air France), the gap to business is often larger than business to economy. Use GapScore to read the value, not the brochure.

06Bag

Why do bag allowances vary so much by airline?

There is no industry standard. Most economy fares now charge for checked bags. Business and first usually include 2 to 3 checked, but rules vary by region (e.g., piece concept in the Americas vs weight concept in Europe and Asia).