Flight Legroom Advice
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 28th October 2007 at 03:03 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
This subject has been the topic of increasing debate, not least because of the DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) issue, but also because many of us (accurately) believe that leg-room has been shrinking while people size (height and width) is acknowledged to be on the increase.
If you are interested in the leg-room subject you are probably an economy class traveler, so this article focuses on that area.
Firstly, what are we talking about when we bandy around the term ‘leg-room’? There are several key measurements to be aware of, but the most important, and accurate; gauge is seat-pitch - which is the measurement between a point on one seat’s headrest and the same point on the headrest in front, commonly expressed in inches. Seat-pitch doesn’t just vary between aircraft, it also varies between long-haul / short haul flights, and different airlines, who may even have different seat configurations for a single aircraft type for reasons good to themselves. If you want to know the exact seat pitch your best bet is to check out the excellent site SeatGuru (which is quite American focussed) who do their best to keep up to date information on each aircraft / airline combination, but don’t cover every airline.
UK regulations state a minimum of 26 inches is required between seats, which equates to around a 28 inch seat pitch.
Here are some approximate seat-pitch guides for airlines frequently used by Brits, but bear in mind airlines do vary their configurations:
Easyjet is generally 29 inches – barely above minimum
Monarch – 28-29 for standard economy, but they do offer premium economy at 34 inches
British Airways – 31 inches
Thomas Cook 30 inches (long haul) – 35 inches premium economy
The average seat-pitch for short haul flights into / out of the UK does seem to be lower than for other parts of the globe, which has perhaps arisen because of our over-riding desire to bag a bargain flight?
For crossing the Atlantic you may want to consider the following seat-pitch comparison
American Airlines – 33-36 inches (we traveled with them last year & they were excellent - in terms of leg-room and n-flight service)
British Airways – 31 inches
Virgin Atlantic – 30 – 31 inches
Or for Atlantic crossings you may wish to consider using the excellent new British airline ‘Silverjet’. Their aircraft are fitted for business class seating only enabling them to offer business class seats (and entire business class experience) at much lower than standard prices, and will soon be flying to Dubai and other destinations.
Other people get interested in measuring seat-width to gauge comfort, which is a more difficult thing to ascertain. When considering this dimension, should we really measure seat width, or shoulder-space (which would take into account arm-rests)? Even if the seat-pitch is minimal having greater width can make you feel less claustrophobic, but I have yet to find a useful and accurate guide to seat width. Also, airlines are getting more sophisticated with their use of lighting and interior cabin design to give passengers an illusion of greater space.
If you are booking a flight through a holiday company check out the small print in their brochure. In 2002 The Sunday Times recently started their ‘Campaign for Fair Flying’ to try to encourage long-haul holiday operators to be more explicit regarding the leg-room that will be provided and calls for a minimum of 32 inch seat pitch for economy long haul flights. Hays and Jarvis seemed to come out best at the time for providing clear and sufficiently detailed information, but I haven’t seen any comparisons since that date.
One final tip, if your airline lets you print your boarding pass at home 24 hours ahead of the flight and drop off luggage early you may be able to grab the exit row before other passengers start checking in in person. However, beware that children (generally under age 16) cannot be seated in exit row seats for safety reasons, even if you pay extra for the extra legroom seats, something not always clearly explained on-line when you are paying extra and selecting those seats. This has caused our family interesting dilemmas as my partner is 6’4 and so likes to pay for those seats, but we also have children to accommodate so we often try to get them in the row behind.
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