RwandAir

RwandAir is Rwanda's flag carrier, flying from a hub at Kigali International that has steadily grown into a connecting point between East Africa, West Africa, the Gulf and Europe. The fleet is deliberately mixed: Airbus A330 widebodies for the long sectors to London, Guangzhou and Mumbai, a pair of Boeing 737-800s for the regional trunk routes, and CRJ-900 and Dash 8-400 turboprops for the shorter African hops. That range means the seat you get on a RwandAir booking depends heavily on which aircraft is rostered, so it pays to check the specific fit before you choose.

The A330-200 and A330-300 are the flagships, both fitted with a three-class layout of lie-flat Business, a small Premium Economy cabin and a long economy section. Below them, the two 737-800 configurations carry a real recliner Business cabin at the front rather than a blocked-middle European curtain, so the premium seat on a Kigali-Lagos or Kigali-Johannesburg leg is a properly wider seat. The CRJ-900 and Dash 8-400 keep a compact regional Business cabin up front for the feeder routes, which is unusual for aircraft this size and worth knowing about when you book a short sector.

On the widebodies, Business is the seat to hold out for on the overnight sectors, with direct-aisle lie-flat access and a quieter cabin near the front. Premium Economy is a modest step up in pitch and width rather than a separate world, so weigh it against the economy fare on daytime flights. In economy the usual advice applies: the rows with the most legroom sit at the bulkheads and around the exits, and the seats to approach with care are those backing onto the galley or lavatory walls where recline and noise both suffer.

On the A330s, request a forward Business seat for the quietest rest on the London and Guangzhou runs, and check the exit-row alignment in economy before paying for extra legroom, since not every exit seat reclines. On the 737-800, the front Business rows give the most usable space on the two-hour African sectors, and in economy the seats immediately ahead of the overwing exits often have tighter recline. On the CRJ-900 and Dash 8-400, the single-seat side of the cabin is the one to ask for if you want a little more elbow room without paying up.