The best "Premium" business class seats: AirAsia X Airbus A330

Travelling in AirAsia X's Premium Class from Australia to Kuala Lumpur on? Here's expert advice on picking the best seats for your journey!

The plane and premium cabin

AirAsia X flies direct to Kuala Lumpur from Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Perth, using mostly Airbus A330s outfitted with economy and 'Premium' class. (Some A340s are occasionally seen too, which have a different seating layout.)

The premium class cabin contains twelve seats which convert into an angled flat bed -- that is, the surface itself is flat rather than just reclining, but you end up sleeping at an angle to the floor rather than being completely horizontal.

Learn more about the difference between lie-flat seats and fully-flay beds in The Lie-Flat Lie

The cabin is laid out in a relatively spacious 2-2-2 configuration, which means no dreaded middle seat.

The best seats on the plane

1D 1G: you'll have about three inches of extra legroom in the bulkhead seats, and the centre pairs mean there's nobody clambering over you. But what you gain in legroom, beware that you might lose in potential disturbance -- there's no footguard, and people heading backwards into the cabin are likely to trip on your feet or at least bump into them.

2D 2G: we're usually partial to the front row where there are lie-flat seats, but row 2 is the one to grab for a relatively undisturbed overnight flight. (Of course, there's a bassinet crib position for infants right behind you in the first row of economy, but there are also three cribs in Premium -- so a baby-free flight is unlikely anyway.)

1A 1K: window fans should snag these seats, especially on the daytime departure from Sydney. There's more space to pick your way out over the aisle passenger, and a bit more legroom given the bulkhead too.

The worst seats on the plane

2C 2H: these aren't especially bad, but they're the most likely to see disturbance from people passing through and from the window passengers clambering over. If you're an aisle fan, you're best to pick the centre pairs instead.

Other best seats guides: 

• Business Class on Malaysia Airlines' A330
• Business Class on Etihad's A340-600
• Business Class on Emirates' A380
• Club World (Business Class) on British Airways' 747
• Business Class on Singapore Airlines' A380

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.