How To Maximize Legroom on Your Next Flight

International flights can be a bear when you’re cramped in a tiny seat with your knees jammed up against the back of the seat in front of you. If you’re tall, you know this feeling all too well and probably go through hoops to get an aisle seat for the occasional stretch-out between passes of the beverage cart.

Want to find out who offers the most legroom in the business? We’ll show you not only best airlines for pure inches, but also a secret way that airlines measure legroom that you’ve never heard of.

What’s the secret?

Airlines calculate legroom based on a measure called ‘pitch’, which is the distance between a specific point on one seat and that same point on its neighbor. Why don’t they just measure the actual inches that your knees can occupy? There’s no easy answer. It would be simpler, wouldn’t it? However, the basic principle is the same - more inches are better.

What is normal?

Domestic flights and short-haul international flights typically have less legroom, as you might expect. These range from 28 to 38 inches, with the average being about 31 inches. Each airline and each type of aircraft differs, but we’ve weeded through to find the best for you.

Our airline legroom comparison:

For long-haul Economy Class, top honors go to American Airlines (31”-37”), China Southern Airlines (31”-37”) and United Airlines (31”-37”).

Both Delta Airlines (31”-35”) and United Airlines (31”-37”) have very large offerings of aircraft that have seats in the higher end of their range. Honorable mention goes to Delta (31”-35”), KLM (31”-35”) and Thai Airlines (31”-36”).

For long-haul Business Class, the cutoff was a minimum of 45” of legroom to be listed as a top contender. The best business class legroom awards go to Delta Airlines (54”-82”), Cathay Pacific Airlines (45”-87”) and Qatar Airlines (60”-80”). Qatar (60”-80”) has the best minimum in the business but Cathay Pacific (45”-87”) soars ahead with the highest maximum leg room of the large airlines.

Several other airlines have legroom ranging from four feet (48”) to almost seven feet (90”). Air New Zealand (47”-80”), Korean Airlines (58”-80”), Virgin Atlantic (77”-82”) and Quantas (50”-80”) all boast maximums of 80” of legroom or more.

For long-haul First Class, the top carriers for legroom are Lufthansa Airlines (85”-92”), EVA Air (81”-87”) and Cathay Pacific Airlines (81”-87”). All airlines in this category had to have at least six-and-a-half feet of legroom (78”) to be considered on our list of best options.  

Jet Airlines has a generous 90” for first-class travelers. EL Airlines has one aircraft, the Boeing 747-400 (744), that has the most legroom in the entire industry - 100 inches!

There are major differences between Economy, Business and First class when it comes to legroom on international flights. Just by taking a look at the numbers, it’s easy to see how upgrading just one level can give you feet of additional space. No matter whether you’re tall or large, or just want lots of room to spread out, now the results are in and you know exactly who to choose for your next international flight.

If you’d really like to find your perfect seat for that long-haul flight, Fareboom offers a unique Seat Map feature that shows you the layout of the aircraft and lets you pick where you want to sit. But getting that coveted aisle seat isn’t always guaranteed – while many international carriers allow passengers to pick their seats, U.S.-based airlines block aisles as premium and normally do not let people book them online.

Click here to learn more about how Fareboom’s Seat Map feature can help you find the best possible seat on the plane.

Long-haul Economy Class

●    Air France = 32”
●    American = 31”-37”
●    British Airways = 31”-34”
●    Cathay Pacific = 32”
●    China Southern = 31”-37”
●    Delta = 31”-35”
●    KLM = 31”-35”
●    Lufthansa = 31”-32”
●    Singapore = 32”-34”
●    Thai = 31”-36”
●    United = 31”-37”
●    Virgin Atlantic = 31”

Long-haul Business Class

●    Air France = 55”-61”
●    Air India = 47”-76”
●    Air New Zealand = 47”-80”
●    British Airways = 45”-73”
●    Cathay Pacific = 45”-87”
●    Delta = 54”-82”
●    Korean = 58”-80”
●    Lufthansa = 57”-78”
●    Qantas = 50”-80”
●    Qatar = 60”-80”
●    Singapore = 50”-76”
●    United = 48”-80”
●    Virgin Atlantic = 77”-82”

Long-haul First Class

●    Air France = 81”
●    Asiana = 78”-84”
●    British Airways = 78”-85”
●    Cathay Pacific = 81”-87”
●    China = 83”
●    China Eastern = 80”
●    Etihad = 80”
●    EVA Air = 81”-87”
●    Jet = 90”
●    Korean = 83”
●    Lufthansa = 85”-92”
●    Malaysia = 89”
●    Oman = 87”
●    Qantas = 79”-83”
●    Singapore = 60-81”
●    Swiss = 83”
●    Virgin = 79.5”

All data from www.seatguru.com. Results shown in alphabetical order.  Please note that if the airline has one or two aircraft models with seat sizes that are outliers compared to most of their aircraft, those outliers are not included.

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