Airlink

Airlink is a South African regional carrier running a dense feeder network across Southern Africa from hubs including Johannesburg and Cape Town. Its fleet is built around Embraer E-jets, the right size of aircraft for the thinner regional routes it serves, connecting smaller towns and neighbouring countries to the main gateways. Most of the fleet pairs a small regional business cabin at the nose with economy behind it, so unlike a pure low-cost carrier there is usually a real front-cabin option to weigh, even on short sectors.

The fleet spans several Embraer models: the E170 at the smaller end, the mid-size E190 in a couple of fits, the stretched E195, and the newest E195-E2. The older E-jets carry a compact business cabin up front over economy, while the E195-E2 is fitted single-class in a comfortable 2-2 economy layout throughout. The one constant across the E-jet family is that 2-2 economy: no middle seats anywhere, so every economy passenger gets either a window or an aisle, which is a real advantage on a regional aircraft.

On the E170, E190 and E195, the business cabin at the nose is a small regional product, a step up in space and service for short hops rather than a long-haul recliner, with economy in a 2-2 layout behind. The E195-E2 drops the separate cabin and runs 2-2 economy from front to back, so the whole aircraft is one comfortable class. The headline comfort feature everywhere is the absence of a middle seat: on a two-by-two Embraer, the worst economy seat is still beside just one other passenger, which takes the sting out of a fuller flight.

The regional business cabin on the E170, E190 and E195 buys quiet and a faster exit more than lie-flat comfort, so it is worth it when you value getting off first at a busy hub rather than for sleep. In economy the choice is simply window against aisle, since there is no middle to avoid: take the window to lean on and keep clear of the aisle, or the aisle for legroom and an easy stretch. The rows nearest the galley and lavatory pick up the most traffic, and the bulkhead row behind a front cabin gives you extra room in front at the cost of under-seat storage.