The European Airlines With The Largest Boeing 777 Business Class Cabins

The European aviation market is fascinating, as legacy carriers compete with low-cost airlines, high-speed rail, and, indeed, each other on short-haul routes. Meanwhile, the long-haul market sees them face competition from their counterparts in far-flung continents. With this in mind, as well as the greater importance of comfort on long flights, premium cabins are a vital tool.

They also represent a delicate balancing act, as carriers weigh up business class’s higher fares but lower seating density than a given aircraft’s economy section. Still, premium-heavy routes are conducive to low-density configurations, as airlines know that large and well-filled business class cabins are guaranteed money-spinners. But which European 777s have the most business class seats?

1 British Airways’ Boeing 777-300ERs

76 Club World seats put these aircraft 14 ahead of second place

British Airways

Hub(s)

London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

Year Founded

1974

Alliance

oneworld

Airline Group

IAG

Country

United Kingdom

Loyalty Program

British Airways Executive Club

According to data from ch-aviation, UK flag carrier British Airways is home to Europe’s largest Boeing 777 business class cabin. This can be found on select examples of the 777-300ER model, consisting of a whopping 76 seats. As pictured above, Club World passengers on these aircraft get to enjoy the airline’s new Club Suites, which are laid out four-abreast in a 1-2-1 configuration.

Photo: British Airways

aeroLOPA notes that BA’s other 777-300ER layout has 56 Club World seats onboard, but these are laid out in a less favorable 2-4-2 configuration. The carrier’s smaller Boeing 777-300ERs also have a relatively high amount of Club World capacity, with the exact figure ranging between 32 and 49, depending on the layout.

2 SWISS’s Boeing 777-300ERs

Business class accounts for almost 20% of the overall capacity

SWISS

Hub(s)

Zurich Airport

Year Founded

2002

Alliance

Star Alliance

Airline Group

Lufthansa Group

The national airline of Switzerland is second on this list, with all of SWISS’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft having been fitted with the same four-class seating configuration. As far as business class is concerned, this section consists of 62 flatbeds, which account for 19.375% of the aircraft’s total capacity of 320 seats.

Photo: SWISS

These aircraft’s business class seats are laid out five abreast, with alternating rows of 1-2-2 and 2-2-1 configurations. This means that rows 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, and 16 have single seats on the A side (rows 6 and 13 are missing due to a break in the cabin and superstition, respectively). Meanwhile, the K side has a single seat in rows 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 17 on SWISS’s Boeing 777-300ERs.

3 Air France’s Boeing 777-300ERs

Not far behind with 58 business class seats

Air France

Hub(s)

Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport

Year Founded

1933

Alliance

SkyTeam

Airline Group

Air France-KLM

Air France’s Boeing 777-300ERs are arguably best known for their exclusive four-seat La Première first class cabins. However, the configuration that features this section (which is one of four overall for the 777-300ER at the French flag carrier) also has a considerable business class cabin that consists of 58 seats.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

These flatbeds, like those in La Première, are laid out in a four-abreast 1-2-1 configuration, with the seats given the letters A, E, F, and L. The front section of business class, located between La Première and the aircraft’s second door in this setup, is more exclusive, as it consists of just four rows. Meanwhile, the second section comprises 11 rows from nine to 20 (missing 13).

4 Turkish Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs

Not every seat has direct aisle access

Turkish Airlines

Hub(s)

Istanbul Airport

Year Founded

1933

Alliance

Star Alliance

CEO

Bilal Ekşi

Next on the list, we have Turkish Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs. These US-built twin-engine widebodies come in two different seating configurations at the Turkish flag carrier, with the most premium-heavy featuring 300 economy and 49 business class seats, meaning that the latter accounts for 14% of the total capacity.

Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

Despite the heavy importance placed on direct aisle access in modern premium cabins, not all of the 49 business class seats in this layout have such a privilege. Indeed, they are laid out in a 2-3-2 configuration, meaning that occupants of the A, E, and K seats will have to step past their seatmates in order to get up and walk.

5 KLM’s Boeing 777-300ERs

Two configurations with a one-seat capacity difference

KLM

Hub(s)

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Year Founded

1919

Alliance

SkyTeam

Airline Group

Air France-KLM

Rounding out the top five, we have KLM, whose largest Boeing 777 business class cabin can be found on some of its 777-300ER aircraft. Consisting of 35 seats in a four-abreast 1-2-1 configuration, this is present on the airline’s three-class examples, with the cabin occupying the entire section between the plane’s first and second doors.

Photo: KLM

Funnily enough, the Dutch flag carrier’s other 777-300ER configuration is just one seat behind, with 34 business class seats in a six-abreast 2-2-2 configuration. In this instance, rows one to five are located between the aircraft’s first and second doors, while row six is situated in its own little section behind the second door. This layout is also used on the airline’s smaller 777-200ERs.

What do you make of these premium-heavy Boeing 777 layouts? How many have you flown on? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: aeroLOPA, ch-aviation