Royal Jordanian

Royal Jordanian is Jordan's flag carrier and the oneworld member of the Levant, flying from Amman's Queen Alia International across the Middle East and Europe, with Dreamliners carrying the long routes to North America. It is a compact operation by Gulf-neighbour standards, and the fleet reads that way: Embraer E2 regional jets for the thin routes, an A320 family for the region, and two sizes of Boeing 787 for everything beyond.

The point that matters for seat picking is that Crown Class, the airline's business cabin, is proper hardware almost everywhere. The regional jets get it, the older narrowbodies get it, and the Dreamliners carry flat beds. The one exception is a high-density A320neo fit with no business cabin at all, which makes checking your aircraft's layout worth thirty seconds before you pay for anything.

The published layouts cover the E190-E2 and E195-E2, the A320 and A321, two A320neo fits and the 787-8 and 787-9. On the ceo narrowbodies Crown Class is a wide two-by-two recliner over the first few rows; on the E2 jets it is a compact cabin arranged so every business seat steps straight into the aisle, which is rare on an aircraft this size.

The Dreamliners split by generation. The 787-8 carries the earlier flat-bed product, six seats across in three pairs, comfortable but with window sleepers climbing over a neighbour. The 787-9 is the flagship fit: a one-two-one Crown Class where every seat has direct aisle access, ahead of a nine-abreast economy in two sections. The two A320neos are the fleet's fork in the road, one with a full business cabin and one with none.

Around the region the experience is a classic two-class narrowbody: recliner rows behind the curtain, three-by-three economy behind them, on sectors short enough that the seat matters less than the schedule. The E2 jets are the sleeper pick, a two-by-two economy with no middle seat on the aircraft, which settles most seat anxiety before it starts.

Long-haul is where the fleet earns its keep. The 787-9's business cabin gives everyone a flat bed and an aisle; the 787-8 delivers the same sleep with older geometry. Economy on both Dreamliners is the industry's nine-abreast standard, snug in width, so the picking happens at the margins: bulkheads, section breaks and distance from the lavatory clusters.

The first check on any A320neo booking is which fit is flying: one carries a Crown Class recliner cabin, the other is economy nose to tail with an extra-legroom block at the front sold under a premium label. On the ceo narrowbodies the bulkhead row pairs its legroom with familiar small print, a tray in the armrest and no floor stowage, and the exit rows on several fits limit recline to keep the escape path clear.

On the 787-8 the bulkheads carry bassinet mounts and go to families early, and the rows around the mid-cabin lavatories take the queue traffic on both Dreamliners. In the 787-9's business cabin one front pair sits beside a blank wall where its windows should be, so view chasers should aim a row or two back. The E2s barely need advice: every economy seat is a window or an aisle.