Revealed: The global airline with the best economy seats – UK Times

Looking for more legroom when you fly? The global airline with the best economy seats in the world has just been revealed.

For the sixth consecutive year, Skytrax’s annual airline awards crowned Japan Airlines (JA) as king of the standard seat.

The awards body judged factors such as design, seat pitch and headrest comfort to determine the best in the skies.

Seat pitch on a plane is the distance between the rows of seats – essentially legroom – and typically measures 30 to 32 inches in most cabins.

Economy seats on JA flights have a seat pitch of 34 inches (86cm), 13-inch 4K screens, fully adjustable headrests, power outlets and cup holders alongside the standard seat pocket and storage spaces for personal items.

Seats are laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration, rather than the standard nine seats across, for an extra 5cm of space.

British passengers can experience the cabins themselves on JA flights from London Heathrow to Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima, among other routes.

In second and third place were Cathay Pacific Airways and Korean Air, respectively.

The “World Airline Awards” were introduced by Skytrax in 1999 as a customer satisfaction study.

According to Skytrax, the “Oscars of the aviation industry” use travellers’ votes from across the world to determine the winners.

In other categories, Cathay Pacific was awarded the best overall economy class airline in 2025, followed by Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines.

As for in-flight meals, EVA Air took the top spot for onboard catering, with Saudia, Turkish Airlines and Emirates all making the top 10.

Skytrax’s best economy class airline seats 2025

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