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Aviation glossary

Cabin configuration

Also: seating configuration, cabin layout, LOPA, seat map

The aircraft

Interior layout an operator chooses for its aircraft: seat count, classes, seats per row, seat pitch, galleys and lavatories.

What it is

The same model can leave the factory with very different interiors. The manufacturer certifies a maximum passenger number, set mainly by how quickly the exits allow an evacuation, but it is the airline that decides how many seats to fit, in how many classes, how many abreast and at what pitch, the distance between rows.

The results vary widely: an Airbus A320 with a low-cost carrier may have 180 seats or more in a single class, while one with a generous business cabin carries considerably fewer. The layout is documented in a drawing called the LOPA (layout of passenger accommodations) and is often summarised in letters and figures, such as C30 Y250, giving the seats in each class.

On Vuelopedia

An aircraft record on Vuelopedia shows its seats by class together with a cabin map.

Airbus A320

Related terms

Cabin classesService levels into which an airline divides its cabin, such as first, business, premium economy and economy, each with its own seats and service. Passenger capacityNumber of passengers an aircraft can carry, which varies with the cabin layout chosen by the airline and is capped by a certified maximum. Cabin retrofitThe renewal of an in-service aircraft's interior with new seats, entertainment, lighting or a different layout of cabin classes. Narrow-bodyAirliner with a single cabin aisle and typically four to six seats per row; the most common type on short and medium-haul routes. Low-cost carrierAirline built around keeping costs down to sell cheap fares: a single aircraft type, high aircraft utilisation, one cabin class and extras charged separately.
Whole glossary

Cite

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Cabin configuration. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cabin-configuration

MLA

“Cabin configuration.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cabin-configuration. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Cabin configuration.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cabin-configuration.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Cabin configuration. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cabin-configuration (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_cabin_configuration,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Cabin configuration}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cabin-configuration},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cabin-configuration}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cabin-configuration |title=Cabin configuration |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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