French Bee, a low-cost long-haul carrier based at Paris Orly, offers the world's narrowest economy seats, according to an examination of publicly available aircraft specifications. The seats measure just 42.4cm in width — more than 6cm narrower than the average UK adult's shoulder width of 48.8cm, based on anthropometric data from the Health and Safety Executive, as reported by the Express.
Ten-abreast layout on Airbus A350
The tight seating results from how French Bee configures its Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. While most airlines use a standard nine-abreast (3-3-3) layout in economy, French Bee squeezes in a ten-abreast arrangement — either 2-4-2 or 3-4-3 — to maximise passenger numbers. This extra seat per row reduces seat width to 42.4cm. Only at the very rear of the cabin, where the fuselage tapers, does the layout revert to the conventional 3-3-3 configuration.
For context, Air France, which also operates the A350 family, uses the standard nine-abreast layout with seats 45.7cm wide. French Bee's seats are narrower than those on many European short-haul budget airlines, despite passengers typically sitting in them for hours on transatlantic flights.
Comparison with other airlines
Seat width is not the only measure of comfort. Seat pitch — the distance between the same point on two consecutive seats, which broadly reflects legroom — along with cushioning and overall cabin design also affect comfort.
At the other end of the spectrum, Japan Airlines (JAL) offers the widest standard economy seats of any commercial carrier. On its Boeing 787 aircraft, JAL uses an unconventional eight-abreast (2-4-2) layout instead of the standard nine-abreast arrangement, giving up one seat per row for extra space. Those seats have been independently measured at between 48cm and 48.3cm wide — almost 6cm broader than French Bee's.
Most long-distance carriers feature broader seats than their short-haul, budget counterparts.
Seat size data
Airline seat sizes (airline, seat width, seat pitch):
- French Bee: 42.4cm, seat pitch unknown
- Ryanair: Around 43cm, 71–97cm (varies by aircraft)
- British Airways: Around 43cm, 74–79cm
- Jetstar: Around 45.5cm, 71cm
- Vueling: Around 44.5cm, 74cm
- EasyJet: 44.5–45.7cm, around 74cm
- United: 43–44.5cm, 76–81cm (varies significantly by aircraft age)
- American/United: Around 43cm, around 76cm
- Delta: 43.7–46cm, 79–84cm
- Southwest: Around 45cm, 76–81cm
French Bee has been contacted for comment.
