It may seem like a frivolous consideration, but more and more travellers are selecting their airlines based on seat quality alone. Not just for long-haul flights either. Air travellers are getting serious about their seating and they’re willing to pay extra to ensure a comfortable experience.
But even for those willing to pay to select their seat, not all airline seats are created equal. According to Which?, the UK’s consumer champion, the most popular airline in the UK is not the one with the best economy seats. Which? compared seat measurements across all the most popular short-haul airlines flying from the UK.
Legroom was based on “seat pitch” which the consumer reporter defined as the gap between your seat and the one ahead. In the first place? Aer Lingus, Ireland’s national airline. According to Which? Aer Lingus economy seats had the most legroom, measuring in at 31-32 inches. British Airways, losing out to the top spot, came in at a close second, with a recorded average of 29-31 inches of legroom for economy seats.
Wizz Air came in as the worst airline for legroom, measuring an average of 28 inches for economy seats.
The full listAer Lingus - 31-32 inches
British Airways - 29-31 inches
EasyJet - 29 inches
Jet2 - 28-31 inches
KLM - 29-33 inches
Lufthansa - 30-32 inches
Norwegian - 29-31 inches
Ryanair - 30 inches
TAP Portugal - 28-31 inches
TUI - 28 inches
Vueling - 29-30 inches
Wizz Air - 28 inches
According to Which? air travellers should not assume that higher fares will ensure more legroom or better seats. The consumer champion also shares three tips to ensure you get more legroom, without paying additional costs.
The first tip is to do your research. Sites like seatguru.com allow you to compare seat sizes across hundreds of airlines as well as see reviews from travellers who have sat on similar flights.
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Another Which? tip is to consider a bulkhead. These seats are usually positioned directly behind the wall or curtains that section off the aircraft, and often have small seat widths. However, the absence of a row in front ensure allow passengers to enjoy additional legroom.
A final tip, which may seem obvious to most: ask a flight attendant if you can switch to a seat with more legroom. Some travellers try seat swapping covertly but it is better to ask a flight attendant for safety reasons and to ensure you are not caught later and subject to additional fees.
