Binter Canarias

Binter Canarias runs the inter-island network that stitches the Canary Islands together. Most of what it flies is a short hop between Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and the smaller islands, plus a growing set of routes out to mainland Spain, Madeira and West Africa. If you are island-hopping, this is the airline you end up on more often than you plan to.

The flying is defined by how short it is. A Tenerife North to Gran Canaria leg is barely half an hour in the air, so the whole trip is boarding, a climb, a snack and a descent. Seat choice matters less for legroom over a hop that brief and more for how quickly you can board and get off at the other end.

The fleet splits neatly in two. The Embraer E195-E2 is the jet Binter uses on longer legs to the mainland and the African routes, quieter and quicker than the propeller aircraft and with a proper high-cruise cabin. The ATR 72-600 is the workhorse for the island shuttles, a turboprop built for short runways and fast turnarounds.

Both aircraft carry a single economy cabin. There is no separate business class to weigh up on a Binter booking, so the decision comes down to which seat within one class suits a short flight rather than which cabin to pay up for.

Expect a straightforward single-class cabin on either aircraft. The E195-E2 gives you the smoother ride of a modern jet with larger windows and a taller cabin, which tells on the slightly longer runs to Madrid or Dakar. The ATR is louder and lower, as turboprops are, but the legs are so short that the noise rarely outstays its welcome.

Binter has a reputation for the little gestures on board, including the traditional bocadillo handed out even on flights that barely reach cruise. On a half-hour hop that is most of the service, so the difference between rows is really about the view and the exit rather than any premium treatment.

On the ATR, the propellers sit level with the mid-cabin rows, so if you want the quietest ride and the cleanest window shot of the islands below, sit ahead of the wing rather than beside it. On the E195-E2 the engines are rear-mounted, which keeps the forward and mid cabin notably calmer.

For the island shuttles the practical win is a seat near the front, since these aircraft board and disembark quickly and a forward row gets you into the terminal first for a tight connection. Check the seat map before you fly to see which rows sit clear of the wing on your particular aircraft.