Your holiday can get off to a rather disappointing start when you step onto the plane and discover that you don’t have quite enough legroom – and that an upgrade to a seat with more will cost you an arm and a leg.
Legroom and the comfort of your seat itself are something that can vary between airlines, with some offering plenty of space while others will try and cram flyers in like sardines.
Back in 2023, Which? conducted a survey comparing legroom and seat width among 12 leading short-haul carriers from the UK, which revealed just how much legroom you’ll be getting on your flight.
The study focused on “seat pitch” – the gap between your seat and the one ahead – to gauge legroom.
And while, Ryanair and Easyjet may have a rather negative reputation in regards to onboard comfort, the study found that it was actually Wizz Air and TUI who offer the smallest seat pitch.
Meanwhile, TAP Portugal and Jet2 offer varying amounts of legroom, with an average of between 28 and 31 inches. And EasyJet came in at 29 inches, with Ryanair slightly ahead at 30 inches.
Which? also looked at seat width – the actual gap between the two arm rests that border your seat – and found that most airlines’ are of a similar size, approximately 17 inches.
However, it’s good news for those flying with easyJet, TAP Portugal, and Lufthansa, who provide slightly more space, with 18 inches of space available between your armrests.
Airline legroom results
Here are the complete results for the seat pitches, as documented by Which?
- Wizz Air – 28 inches
- TUI – 28 inches
- Jet2 – 28-31 inches
- TAP Portugal – 28-31 inches
- EasyJet – 29 inches
- Vueling – 29-30 inches
- British Airways – 29-31 inches
- Norwegian – 29-31 inches
- KLM – 29-33 inches
- Ryanair – 30 inches
- Lufthansa – 30-32 inches
- Aer Lingus – 31-32 inches
