Azores Airlines

Azores Airlines is the flag carrier of the Azores, flying out of Ponta Delgada across the mid-Atlantic. Most of the network is short and medium haul to mainland Portugal and Europe, but the airline also runs the long legs that put it on the map for choosy travellers: transatlantic services to Boston and Toronto that stitch the islands to the North American diaspora. The fleet leans Airbus narrowbody, with a Dash 8 turboprop handling the inter-island and regional hops where a jet would be overkill.

The workhorses are the A320 and A320neo, both single-class economy cabins sized for the European and mainland-Portugal routes. The interesting aircraft is the A321neo, flown in both a standard neo fit and the longer-range LR variant, and it carries a small two-class layout with a recliner business cabin up front for the ocean crossings to Boston and Toronto. The Dash 8-400 turboprop covers the shorter regional work in a straightforward all-economy layout.

On the A320 and A320neo the experience is standard single-aisle economy: a 3-3 cabin where the trade-offs are the usual ones of window versus aisle and how close you sit to the galley or lavatory. The A321neo transatlantic fit adds a business cabin of paired recliner seats, which is the seat to want on a five or six hour Atlantic crossing rather than a domestic hop. The Dash 8 is a quick turboprop ride where seat choice matters less than on the jets.

For the ocean routes to Boston and Toronto, the A321neo business cabin is where the recline and the space are, and it earns its keep once the flight runs past a few hours. Back in economy on any of the Airbus jets, aim for a seat away from the galley and lavatory zones if you want a quieter run, and treat the exit and bulkhead rows as the pick for legroom. On the short island and mainland hops the aircraft is small enough that most rows feel similar, so window or aisle is the main call.