With  travel reaching its peak during a bustling summer period, families have been departing to diverse destinations across the world for their holiday. Airports and holiday companies are experiencing a surge in bookings, yet comfort during those lengthy flights remains challenging to achieve.

Restricted legroom and tight seating can dampen your airborne journey. It’s widely recognised that seat dimensions and leg space differ between airlines. For travellers reluctant to pay additional fees for “extra legroom” options, you may wonder what standard tickets actually provide. 

Fortunately, Which? had undertaken a study, back in 2023, examining legroom and seat width amongst 12 prominent short-haul operators departing from the UK.

The research examined “seat pitch” – the distance between your seat and the one in front – to measure legroom.

Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, and KLM topped the rankings, providing a spacious seat pitch of 31 to 32 inches, 29 to 33 inches, and 30 to 32 inches respectively. Conversely, Wizz Air and TUI lagged behind, both offering a rather cramped seat pitch of merely 28 inches.

Regarding seat width – the actual space between the two armrests flanking your seat – most carriers offer similar dimensions, roughly 17 inches. However, easyJet, TAP Portugal, and Lufthansa deliver marginally more room, at 18 inches.