XiamenAir is the SkyTeam carrier from Xiamen on the Fujian coast, with a second home in Fuzhou and a network that blends dense domestic flying with long-haul routes to Europe, North America and Australia. For decades it was that rare thing among Chinese majors, an all-Boeing operator, and the fleet is still built around 737s and 787 Dreamliners.

That purity has recently ended: A320neo-family jets have joined, so a XiamenAir booking can now draw Airbus metal on domestic sectors. The practical layer underneath is familiar, though. Most narrowbodies carry a real two-by-two business cabin at the front, a few fly single-class, and the widebodies carry the products the airline is proudest of.

Fleet & aircraft

The published layouts cover the 737-700, the 737-800 and the 737 MAX 8, most with a compact business cabin and the -800 and MAX each with a single-class sibling, plus the new A320neo and A321neo and the two Dreamliners. The 787-9 is the flagship: a Super Diamond business cabin in a one-two-one layout, every seat reaching the aisle directly and folding flat, ahead of a nine-abreast economy.

The 787-8 is the curiosity, a genuine three-class aircraft with a tiny first class section in its nose, a flat-bed business cabin behind it and economy beyond that. A first class of four seats is closer to a private corner than a cabin, and it makes this one of the smallest first class sections flying anywhere.

Cabin experience

Narrowbody business is a proper product rather than a blocked middle: wide recliners two-by-two, with the MAX 8 version running the longest stretch of the lot. Economy on the 737s is the familiar three-by-three; the A321neo adds a long economy cabin with two banks of exits to aim for.

On the widebodies the step up is real. The 787-9's business seats give privacy and direct aisle access to everyone, the 787-8's first class adds width and space beyond that, and Dreamliner economy benefits from the quieter, better-pressurised cabin even in a nine-abreast layout. Catering and service follow the long-haul playbook the airline runs to Europe, North America and Australia.

Seat selection tips

On the 737-800 and MAX 8 the first thing to establish is whether your aircraft is the two-class fit or the single-class one, because the front cabin and the extra-legroom geography move with it. In economy the marked legroom sits at the bulkheads and around the exits, and on several fits a window seat near the wing looks at a blank panel rather than a view, which the map flags seat by seat.

On the 787-9, every business seat has the same aisle access, so position is the only decision: forward for a quick exit, window-side for privacy. Economy bulkheads on the widebodies carry the bassinet mounts and go early. One quirk worth knowing across the fleet: row numbers jump between cabins, so economy can start in the forties with nothing missing in between.