Air China

Air China is the country's flag carrier and a Star Alliance member, built around hubs at Beijing that anchor a network stretching across domestic China, the rest of Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia. It is one of the "big three" mainland carriers, and the cabin you get is tied closely to the aircraft rostered for your route, so the published seat map for your specific flight is the reliable way to see what is actually on offer.

The fleet splits between a large single-aisle group that handles domestic and regional flying and a widebody long-haul group built around the Airbus A330 and A350 and the Boeing 777 and 787. The premium products range from a compact recliner-style business on the narrowbodies to a full flat-bed with direct aisle access on the newest widebodies, and several of the long-haul jets also carry a genuine premium economy cabin between business and economy.

The published layouts cover the A319, A320, A320neo, A321 and A321neo narrowbodies alongside the Boeing 737-700, 737-800 and 737 MAX 8, and on the widebody side the A330-200, A330-300, A350-900, Boeing 777-300ER and 787-9, with several sub-variants that differ in business density, whether a premium economy cabin is fitted and how tightly the economy cabin is packed.

The A350-900 is the modern flagship of the twin-aisle fleet, with a reverse-herringbone business cabin, a dedicated premium economy and a nine-abreast economy behind it. The 777-300ER carries the largest layouts in the fleet: one three-class version with a small First cabin ahead of business, and a denser two-class version that trades the First cabin and premium economy for extra rows. The 787-9 and A330-300 also carry a premium economy cabin, while the A330-200 runs a two-class layout in a few densities. Across every narrowbody, business is a genuine two-by-two cabin at the front with a standard six-abreast economy behind.

On the A350, 777 and 787, Air China business is a modern long-haul flat-bed with direct aisle access, personal screens and a full meal service, and the A350, 777-300ER, 787-9 and A330-300 also carry a separate premium economy cabin that sits genuinely between business and economy in space and service. The A330-200 business is a slightly older but still comfortable lie-flat product, so the published layout is the fastest way to confirm which generation of seat your flight offers.

On the narrowbodies, business is a short-haul two-by-two recliner rather than a bed: more space beside you, priority boarding and a better meal, but a seat you sit in rather than sleep in. Economy across the fleet is a straightforward modern cabin, with seat-back entertainment on the widebodies and a tidy, well-kept cabin on the single-aisle jets.

On the widebodies the business seats are broadly equal, so position is the deciding factor: seats nearer the front board and clear first, those toward the rear sit further from galley traffic, and solo travellers tend to prefer the window-aligned seats in the herringbone and reverse-herringbone cabins for privacy. Premium economy is worth considering on the long transpacific and Europe routes, where the extra space over economy matters most.

In economy, the bulkhead rows behind a cabin divider give extra room but lose under-seat stowage, and the last rows ahead of the rear galleys and lavatories are the ones to avoid for noise and traffic. On the narrowbodies the over-wing exit rows carry extra legroom, and the front two-by-two business rows are the pick for space on a short hop. Because several of these aircraft types turn up in more than one layout, check the published seat map for your flight before settling on a row.