Wide-body
An aircraft with a fuselage wide enough for two aisles — the 777, 787, A330, A350 and A380 — used for long-haul flying.
Definition
A wide-body is an aircraft whose fuselage is wide enough for two passenger aisles, typically seating seven to ten across in economy. The Boeing 747, 767, 777 and 787, the Airbus A330, A340, A350 and A380 are the wide-bodies most crew will meet. They carry larger crews, multiple galleys and, on long-haul variants, dedicated crew rest compartments.
What it means for you
Wide-body qualification is a separate type rating in your training record and often a promotion, a bid or a seniority milestone. On board it means working in a bigger team with defined positions and a purser structure; on the roster it means long-haul rotations, layovers and per diems rather than multi-sector days.
In practice
Emirates operates an all-wide-body fleet of A380s and 777s, so a new joiner there is wide-body qualified from day one, whereas a Lufthansa crew member usually flies A320s for years before transferring to the A350.
Related terms
4 terms- Twin-aisleFlight operationsAnother name for a wide-body aircraft, describing the cabin from the crew's side: two aisles, two service flows.
- Narrow-bodyFlight operationsA single-aisle aircraft such as the A320 family or 737, the workhorse of short-haul and low-cost flying.
- Long-haulFlight operationsFlights of roughly six hours or more on wide-body aircraft, normally one sector a day followed by a layover.
- GalleyAircraft & cabinThe aircraft's kitchen and service preparation area, and by extension the working position of the crew member who runs it.