If you’ve ever boarded a plane and wondered why the seats are almost always blue or grey, well wonder no more, we’ve looked at Europe’s leading airlines to uncover which conform to the ‘blue’ rule and which don’t and delve into the science behind plane seat colours.
Of the 24 leading airlines in Europe which accounted for nearly 1 billion passenger movements between them in 2019, 11 airlines will have you sit in a blue seat and the same number offer up a grey cabin hue. Only 2 airlines break away from the norm and if you’re wondering what other colour plane seat you might encounter, well, it’s brown. The secondary seat colour is generally where airlines splash their branding and over 10 different colours in are action here with red, yellow and orange the most popular.
Taking into account passenger numbers, a staggering 57% of airline passengers in Europe (approx. 550 million) will sit in a blue seat whilst 39% will take their flight in a grey seat (approx. 370 million). Only 4%, or 42 million passengers on European airlines won’t sit in a blue or grey seat thanks to Iberia and Swiss Airlines who both settle for brown.
Why are plane seats usually blue or grey?
According to colour psychologists, blues and greys convey a sense of calm, professionalism and stability – all attributes appealing to airlines who are keen to market a less stressful flying experience, balanced with the desire to stand out and display their corporate branding. It’s clear that most airlines are happy to go for blue or grey with a splash of colour in the seat piping, or headrest.
What do secondary seat colours say about airlines?
ORANGE
As seen most famously on easyJet flights, but also a feature on Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Austrian Airlines and Jet2, the colour orange portrays a sense of fun, passion, warmth and comfort.
YELLOW
As most famously worn by Ryanair and Ryanair only in Europe, yellow promotes a sense of self-esteem and confidence, extraversion and emotional strength, all synonymous with the Ryanair brand.
GREEN
Often a bright / lime green as worn by S7, Finnnair and Aer Lingus, green bestows a sense of harmony and balance and refreshing tone whilst peaceful and resting characteristics are also associated with green.
RED
As worn by Air France, Wizz Air, Eurowings, Pegasus, Iberia, Alitalia and TAP, red (or shades of) is the most used secondary colour by number and passenger volume and emits a sense of courage, strength yet warmth, energy and excitement, all attributes that branding experts would likely recommend to airlines.
See all major European airlines seat colours here.
AIRLINE
PASSENGERS (m)
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
IMAGE
Ryanair
152.4
Dark Blue
Yellow
Lufthansa
145.1
Grey
Blue
Easyjet
96.1
Dark Blue
Orange
Turkish Airlines
74.3
Light Blue
Mixed
British Airways
47.7
Dark Blue
Light Grey
Air France
46.8
Dark Blue
Red
Eurowings
38.2
Light / Dark Grey
Red
Norwegian Air
36.3
Dark Grey / Black
Orange
KLM
35.1
Dark Blue
Orange
Pegasus Airlines
29.9
Light / Dark Grey
Red / Yellow
Scandinavian Airlines
29.8
Dark Grey
Dark Grey
Iberia
22.4
Brown / Grey
Pink
Alitalia
21.3
Light Grey
Red / Yellow
Swiss Airlines
18.8
Brown
White
TAP Air Portugal
17
Dark Blue / Grey
Red
Aegean Airlines/Olympic Air
15
Dark Blue
White
Austrian Airlines
14.7
Light / Dark Grey
Orange
Finnair
14.7
Dark Grey
Light Grey / Lime Green
Jet2
14.4
Grey / Orange
Grey / Orange
Air Europa
13
Blue
Light Blue
Aer Lingus
11.6
Grey
Lime Green
Rossiya
11.6
Dark Blue
Dark Blue
* Airline seat colours correct at time of publication, some airlines have different seat colours for different routes / aircraft type / ticket class and also during transition from one seat style to the next.