The airline that gives travelers the most legroom will surprise you

Published 7:57 am Friday, January 19, 2024

Almost every traveler has dealt with the struggle of fitting one’s feet and bag into the small space in front of the seat without feeling cramped.

Greater legroom is the primary selling point the airlines use to entice passengers to upgrade their ticket to premium economy while survey after survey finds that narrow seat size and too little legroom are behind only flight delays as the most common reasons for plane passengers’ dissatisfaction.

To compare different airlines, points and frequent flyer miles, news platform Upgraded Points recently crunched Google’s (GOOGL) – Get Free Report online flight booking service Google Flights’ numbers on how many inches different ones have between two rows of seats in economy.

Not having enough legroom is a common plane passenger complaint.

Image source: Shutterstock

These are the airlines offering the most (and least) legroom

At an average 32.3 inches (the exact number will vary depending on the type of plane used), JetBlue Airways  (JBLU) – Get Free Report came out as the clear winner. The New York-based carrier that recently lost its bid to acquire budget airline Spirit  (SAVE) – Get Free Report beat out “the big three” of U.S.-based airlines — Delta Air Lines  (DAL) – Get Free Report, American Airlines  (AAL) – Get Free Report and United Airlines  (UAL) – Get Free Report each had a respective 31, 30.2 and 30.1 inches.

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Delta tied with Alaska Airlines  (ALK) – Get Free Report which also had an average 31 inches. Low-cost carriers Spirit and Frontier Airlines  (FRON) – Get Free Report tied for last place with 28 inches each — an entire 4 inches less than frontrunner JetBlue.

“JetBlue Airways is the clear leader in legroom, boasting an average seat pitch of 32.3 inches,” wrote Alex Miller of Upgraded Points. “This feature is a key aspect of JetBlue’s modern fleet, which includes spacious Airbus A320  (EADSF) – Get Free Report and A321 models designed to enhance the overall travel experience for their passengers.”

‘Difference between a cramped, restless journey and a relaxed experience’ 

United and Hawaiian Airlines  (HA) – Get Free Report scored closer to the bottom with a respective 30.1 and 29 inches.

The report also looked at the planes that different airlines have in their fleet and the ones that offer passengers the most legroom. The winner in this regard was the Embraer 190  (ERJ) – Get Free Report, which has 32 inches between each row and JetBlue invested in as part of a major partnership with the producer.

Other planes to score highly on the legroom scale include the Boeing (BA) – Get Free Report 787, 777 and 767 at 31 inches. The Airbus A350, which is heavily used by both Delta and United, also has 31 inches and was the most legroom-spacious plane for the aircraft maker. While Embraer has the aircraft with the most legroom, Boeing won out with having three of the top five planes with the most legroom.

The Airbus A320neo, meanwhile, had the least space out of all the examined planes at 28 inches.

“Some carriers clearly prioritize passenger comfort with more generous spacing, while on others, legroom is at a premium — a factor to consider if you’re planning a longer journey or just prefer a bit more space,” Miller concluded. “These variations in space aren’t just trivial numbers; they can be the difference between a cramped, restless journey and a relaxed, enjoyable flight experience.”

SEE THE FULL RANKING OF DIFFERENT AIRLINES HERE.

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