We'll see other differences in service between the classes later in this unit. Let's look now at the seats. The picture below shows the plan of the aircraft flying to Tokyo.

1. Mr. Isao Hideyoshi's one way fare is £3564.00

2. Miss Michiko Ichikawa's one way fare is £2227.00

3. Mr. Desmond Guilford's one way fare is £674.00

4. At the front of the aircraft is the First Class cabin with 12 seats.

5. In the middle, there are two Business Class cabins on the main deck (floor). Across the width of the aircraft there   are 7 seats

6. There are two large Economy cabins at the back of the aircraft and one small economy section in the bubble of this Jumbo aircraft. Across the width of the aircraft there are10 seats.

10 seats in a row will not be as wide as 7. In Economy Class, most seats are 17-18" wide (430-460cm). Club Class seats are usually 20" (510 cm) wide.

The way in which an airline decides to split the interior of an aircraft into different cabins is called 'configuration'. An Airbus A330 operated by Cathay Pacific may have a different configuration (with 44 First Class seats) to one operated by Emirates (with 18 First Class seats and 42 in Business Class.) The airlines know how many different types of fare they can sell on any particular route and they will configure their aircraft to maximize revenue. Most airlines publish seating plans of their aircraft so it is possible to book exactly the seat wanted (although airlines sometimes change the type of aircraft used on a particular day and flight).

Although a wider seat is more comfortable, the critical factor for most travelers is leg room, or how much space there is between your seat and the one in front of you. Below are pictures of a 7'7" basketball player shown in three cabins.

7-foot-7 Washington Bullets centre Gheorghe Muresan tests the space in economy class and business class on All Nippon Airways.

Above left is shown Economy, above right is shown Business and below, he can stretch out with 83 inches of seat room. (Photos by Barbara Ries, USA TODAY)

The airlines call the spacing of their seats 'pitch', and they'll tell you what the pitch is between the back of a seat and the next one. Sometimes they even mention pitch in their advertising. The higher the pitch the more space the traveler will enjoy. In the first class cabin above, the pitch is 83" (2110 cms).

In the Economy cabin, the pitch is usually 30-31" (760-790cms). Anyone taller than 5'7" (1700 cms) will probably feel uncomfortable. The constricted leg space may lead to physical problems. If airlines increase the pitch (and decreased the number of seats) in the Economy cabin, they would have to increase the Economy Fares significantly.

Some airlines are changing the configuration of part of their Economy cabins to create a 'Premium Economy Cabin' or 'Enhanced Economy' where the seats have a longer pitch. Virgin Atlantic have a brand 'Virgin Premium Economy' where the pitch is 38" (965 cms), rather than the usual 30-31". Other airlines are doing the same. The price of the seat in these "Premium" or "Premier" cabins is higher than that in the main Economy cabin.

In Club Class, the pitch is more generous and comfortable. In the diagram above the pitch is 60" (1520 cms).

There is a third "space dimension" with seats on aircraft: How far the seat will push backwards or recline. As with seat width and pitch, the higher the class the more the seat will recline. An economy seat will only recline a little (it cannot go further because of the pitch.)

In Business Class, there is more space for the seats to recline. The nearer that the seat can get to the horizontal (flat), the more desirable. In the picture below, we see a recline of 150°. Delta's Business Class seats can recline to 160°. Completely flat or horizontal seats are at 180°.

First Class seats can sometimes convert to a proper bed. These are important for overnight flights, as they'll be used by people who want to sleep through the night. First Class seats will also turn into comfortable armchairs and mini desks.