Boeing 787 Vs. Airbus A350: Which Is More Comfortable For Long-Haul Flights?

Long-haul air travel can be tough. Crying babies, mediocre food or barely any beyond a measly bag of pretzels, turbulence, dehydration, crappy recycled air, downed Wi-Fi, and on overnight flights, difficulty catching some Zs. Yet airlines want your hard-earned money to transport you through the skies, and the comfort and safety of passengers is hopefully their number one priority. What's more, modern jets seem to be improving in terms of layout and general comfort, where things like overnight pods make life a bit better on long-haul red-eye flights. Direct competitors Boeing and Airbus want to sell the most jets to the most airlines, and therefore seek to create the best passenger experiences they can possibly engineer.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner goes toe-to-toe with the Airbus A350 as modern commercial jets from the 2010s era. The 787 Dreamliner debuted in 2011, and the A350 in 2015. These wide-body planes are said to have some of the most comfortable cabins in the business. If you're about to embark on a long-haul flight, you'd be considered lucky to board either of these jets, which, unlike years past, actually make air travel quite comfortable. 

The Airbus A350 is more comfortable for long-haul flights when compared to the 787 Dreamliner. In fact, the Airbus A350 is considered one of the best planes for long-haul flights, with many passengers and industry experts backing this claim. The jet comes in two models — the A350-900 and the A350-1000, carrying between 300 to 480 passengers, depending on seating configurations. It has a higher relative humidity in the cabin compared to the 787, which, as anyone who's ever been on a long flight can attest, could help lessen red eyes and feelings of dehydration. The A350 cabin is also said to be remarkably quiet — 57 decibels at cruising altitude, which is around the average din of normal conversation — and, according to Airbus, is five decibels quieter than the 787.

Passengers preferred the A350 over the 787 for a myriad of other reasons, citing an overall better level of comfort, with more legroom in coach as an example. One Redditor who claims to have flown both aircraft professed a preference for the A350's quieter experience and seemingly fresher air. Other travelers, airport operations personnel, and even a pilot on Reddit have publicly extolled the virtues and benefits of the A350's superior comfort and real feeling of spaciousness. During a brutal overnight flight, those extra inches of legroom and a wider aisle can actually make a world of difference, as many travelers can attest to. The overall consensus of seasoned travelers online gives the A350 an edge.

The 787 Dreamliner is quite a unique passenger jet, and a substantial leap forward in commercial jet comfort over predecessors like the 767 and 777. With a name like Dreamliner, Boeing had to really deliver in all areas, especially considering the sharp competition from Airbus. It comes in three models — the 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 — with passenger capacities of 248, 296, and 336, respectively. For a smooth ride, the 787 has a turbulence-dampening system, which allows passengers to relax without being violently jostled around when the skies aren't so friendly. The wing flaps actively move up and down to counter the forces of the choppy air, while the wings are designed to flex substantially with the help of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics.

To make things cozier for passengers, the 787 features cabin pressurization to 6,000 feet, which differs from smaller jetliners, which typically have cabins pressurized to 8,000 feet. Since the human body isn't meant to be up so high in the sky, especially for extended periods of time, this adds comfort to the flight experience and can reduce feelings of fatigue associated with long-haul flights. The 787 also features larger windows than the A350, which are also dimmable, further adding to the jet's luxurious vibe. But when pitted against its rival, most passengers prefer the A350 to the 787, citing downsides like a generally smaller and cramped feeling due to seating configurations and a louder cabin, which really becomes apparent on those grueling 12-hour flights.