Airline with the least legroom and it's not Ryanair or easyJet

Airline with the least legroom and it’s not Ryanair or easyJet

Posted by Admin August 17, 2024 World

If you’re spending hours on a flight, you want to be as comfortable as possible

Which? has compared seat sizes and legroom between easyJet, TUI, Ryanair, Jet2 and other short-haul providers(Image: E+)

For a lot of people, there are fewer things more enjoyable than boarding a flight and jetting off for a well-earned trip and a change of scenery. International tourism has bounced back with a bang after the covid pandemic put a stop to overseas travel back in 2020.

Industry bosses are expecting one of the busiest summers on record, with the summer holidays now in full swing, meaning people can take their children abroad. Airports and tour operators alike are reporting huge numbers of bookings, but as anyone who has travelled on a plane before will know, staying comfortable for the hours-long trip can be difficult.

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It can put a dampener on the journey to find you don’t have as big a seat, or as much legroom, as you would like. The size of seats, and legroom, can differ depending on who you fly with.

Of course, many airlines offer seats with “extra legroom” for an additional fee, but if you’re wondering how much space you will get on a basic ticket, we’ve got you covered. A Which? 2023 survey compared legroom and seat widths on flights with 12 popular airlines that fly short-haul from the UK.

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In order to determine the amount of legroom, the study measured a “seat pitch”, which is the distance from your seat to the one in front. When it came to legroom, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, and KLM came out on top, with a seat pitch of 31-32 inches, 29-33 inches, and 30-32 inches, respectively. Wizz Air and TUI offered the least legroom, with both having a seat pitch of 28 inches.

Here are the results in full for the seat pitches, as recorded by Which?

Aer 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

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In terms of seat width, the actual distance between the two arm rests that flank your seat, most airlines’ seats are a similar size, at around 17 inches. easyJet, TAP Portugal, and Lufthansa offer slightly more room, at 18 inches.