Saudia, the national airline of Saudi Arabia, has shown its first premium economy seat. The airline revealed it at the World Travel Market trade show in London. Passengers will not be able to fly in it until 2027.
Read on to find out what the seat offers and when passengers can try it.
Premium economy is a cabin between economy and business class. The seats are wider than economy seats and leave more space for your legs. Many airlines now sell it as a comfortable choice that costs less than business class.
Saudia’s new seat has a pitch of up to 43 inches. Pitch is the distance from one seat to the same point on the seat in front, so a bigger pitch means more legroom. Emirates offers up to 40 inches in its premium economy cabin. Passengers are likely to notice the extra space first.
The seat also has a 15.5-inch entertainment screen and a calf rest that passengers can extend. The calf rest supports the lower legs. Saudia says the cabin gives passengers more privacy and extra space for their personal items. It is easy to see why airlines want these features on long flights.
The World Travel Market is a yearly trade show in London where airlines, hotels and tourism companies show their new products. Saudia used it to present the cabin to the travel industry. The extra space and the calf rest matter most on long flights, when passengers want to stretch out and rest.
Passengers will not be able to sit in the new cabin straight away. Saudia plans to offer it first on new Boeing 787 aircraft that arrive from 2027. Later, the airline will fit it to some of its older Airbus A330, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 aircraft. This kind of upgrade is called a retrofit, because the new seats go into aircraft that are already flying. Saudia has not said when the retrofit work will happen.
The seat is part of a bigger plan called the New Saudia Experience, which covers new aircraft and refreshed cabins. At the same show, the airline also presented the business cabin for its Airbus A321XLR. It has 24 suites with fully flat beds and direct access to the aisle, plus 120 economy seats.
Many airlines now sell premium economy, because travellers want more comfort without paying business class prices. Saudia is joining them, and carriers such as Emirates and TAP Air Portugal are also growing or adding the cabin. Reports from the show do not say how much a ticket will cost or how many premium economy seats each aircraft will have. It is too early to say how popular the cabin will be, but the airline clearly hopes that passengers will want to try it.
Check your understanding
When will passengers first be able to fly in Saudia’s new premium economy seat?
The article says Saudia plans to offer the cabin first on new Boeing 787 aircraft that arrive from 2027.
True or false: Saudia has announced a date for fitting the new seat to its older aircraft.
The article says Saudia has not said when the retrofit work will happen.
Emirates offers up to 40 inches of pitch and Saudia’s new seat offers up to 43. What does this suggest?
The article explains that a bigger pitch means more legroom, and 43 inches is bigger than 40.
- premium economy (noun) – a cabin between economy and business class, with more space and comfort than economy. Typical use: “Premium economy is a cabin between economy and business class.”
- pitch (noun) – the distance from one seat to the same point on the seat in front. Typical use: “Saudia’s new seat has a pitch of up to 43 inches.”
- calf rest (noun) – a support under the lower legs that passengers can pull out. Typical use: “The seat also has a 15.5-inch entertainment screen and a calf rest that passengers can extend.”
- retrofit (noun) – an upgrade fitted to an aircraft that is already in service. Typical use: “This kind of upgrade is called a retrofit, because the new seats go into aircraft that are already flying.”
Airlines are changing what passengers see at their seats in other ways too. You can read about one example in American Airlines Brings Back Seatback Screens.
