How to Get a Seat to London That’s 1.5 Inches Wider for $1,914 Less Cost

Pay or save $638 per ½ Inch… The choice is yours

What if I told you that you could save $1,914 on a Business Class trip across the pond and even get a wider seat — simply by being smart about the flight?

We discussed this in special reports about mixed-class flying, found here and here. To make this work best, you want to leverage a mixed cabin strategy with partners that have the best Premium Economy seats for the return segment.

Let’s keep a couple stats in mind: the average American male is 5 feet 9 inches. The average American woman is 5 feet 4 inches.

That suggests that legroom isn’t as important as seat width for many, given the average American is ‘wider’ nowadays than ‘taller’… which makes seats with more width feel much less cramped, overall.

And guess what? We’ve found a way you can get a wider seat and pay a lot less for the privilege.

New York – London

On the New York-London route, for example, if you buy a Business Class round-trip for $4,717 on Delta, you’re spending an extra $1,914 — or $638 per 1/2 inch — compared to booking Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy for the return segment. And that’s despite Virgin’s Premium Economy seat being 1.5 inches wider than Delta’s Business Class seat. I know, right?!

But if you buy a Delta Business Class outbound ticket for the night flight in a seat you will sleep in, and return in Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy on a day flight in a seat you likely won’t sleep in that is 1.5 inches wider, the round-trip cost is $2,803. That means you’ll spend $1,914 less, which equals a savings of $638 per extra half inch. Now that’s a deal.

Simply book the Virgin Atlantic B787-900 or A330-300 from New York to London. Note that this does not work as well with Virgin’s A350-1000 as the seats are a ½ inch narrower than Delta’s Business Class. You can crunch similar numbers (and coddle those hip bones) out of Boston and Seattle, as detailed below. 

Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy

B787-900 22 Inches Wide / Reclines up to 8 inches / 38 inches of legroom

A330-300 21 Inches Wide / Reclines up to 7 inches / 38 inches of legroom

Boston – London

By following this approach, if you buy a Business Class round-trip fare on the Boston-London route for $4,242 on Delta, you actually spend an extra $965, or $321 per 1/2 inch more of seat width, compared to Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy.

But if you buy Business Class outbound for the night flight in a seat you will sleep in, and return in Premium Economy, same flight, in a seat you likely won’t sleep in that is 1.5 inches wider, the round-trip will cost $3,277 on Virgin Atlantic and you’d spend $965, saving $321 per 1/2 inch.

Seattle – London

On the Seattle-London route if you buy Business Class round-trip for $4,292 on Delta you are spending an extra $865, or $245 per extra 1/2 inch of seat width, compared to Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy.

But if you buy Business Class outbound, a night flight, you’ll probably sleep in your seat. Then you return in Premium Economy during the day when you’ll be watching a movie or be on your computer or mobile device, from a seat that is 1.5 inches wider, and not trivial. This round-trip on Virgin Atlantic will save you $865.

The takeaway? Play musical chairs to save big to London.