Cabin dimensions explained, height, width, floor and what you feel
Brochures list cabin height, width and length to the inch. Here is how those numbers translate into headroom, seating, sleep, bags and how you feel on arrival.
Tool
Cabins to Scale
Seven representative cabins from turboprop to ultra long range, drawn to the same scale, with a person of your height standing inside.
What the drawing shows
Each cross section uses the rounded manufacturer figures for one typical aircraft of the class: the maximum cabin height and width, drawn to the same scale. The person beside the seat is drawn at the height you set. Real cabins are narrower at shoulder and floor level than at their widest point, and seats, sidewalls and lower aisles change how the space feels.
Why height and width matter
On a flight of an hour, a cabin of under five feet is perfectly comfortable, because you sit. On a flight of three hours or more, being able to stand, walk to an enclosed lavatory and stretch changes how you arrive. That is the real step from light to midsize jets. Width matters for the aisle, for facing club seats with a table between them and for a divan that turns into a bed.
Comparing aircraft
Within one class, cabins differ by a few inches, and so do the brochure numbers. Ask the operator for the actual layout of the aircraft offered, with photographs, the number of seats that are certified for take-off and landing and where the baggage is stored.
Questions
Which is the smallest jet I can stand up in?
Most adults can stand upright from midsize jets onwards, where cabin heights reach about six feet. Light jets and very light jets are around four feet ten inches to five feet one inch tall inside, so you move about bent over.
Does a wider cabin mean more seats?
Not necessarily. Wider cabins are usually furnished with fewer, larger seats, club groups and divans. The number of seats approved for take-off and landing is what counts for your group, and it is stated by the operator for each aircraft.
Read more
Articles behind this tool
Private jet classes, from very light jets to ultra long range
Seven classes, from turboprops to ultra long range jets, with seats, range and cabin height, and why the labels are looser than they sound.
Turboprop or light jet, when the propeller is the better choice
On short sectors a modern turboprop is often only minutes slower than a light jet, reaches strips jets cannot and costs less per hour. Here is where each wins.