Secret Seats on Airplanes

Pick airlines that offer the most legroom

Nearly four in 10 passengers say that giving more legroom is the No. 1 thing airlines should do to improve the in-flight experience, according to a survey by TripAdvisor.com. Jamie Counter, the senior director of flights for TripAdvisor.com, notes that discount airline JetBlue typically offers about 34 inches of legroom in economy class, which is “very generous” (though he adds that the airline is reducing its legroom offerings on some planes), while Spirit typically offers about six inches less than that. Most other domestic airlines, he says, fall somewhere between 32 and 33 inches of legroom, which is now “on the high side given the proliferation of slim-line seats.” Seat width tends to have less variation: In the economy cabin, it usually ranges from 17.2 inches to 18 inches, Counter says.

Know which planes have the most space

Legroom differs not only between airlines but within the same airline, as specific jets have different configurations. Counter points out that Airbus planes tend to have more interior space to create more legroom, though that doesn’t mean the airline has necessarily configured them with more legroom. That’s why experts recommend that before booking a flight, consumers check out SeatGuru.com, which shows the specific jet and how much legroom it has in each class.

Beware of regional jets

While this isn’t universally true, Counter says that many regional jets have less room — both in terms of width and length — than larger jets. “Regional jets can be really tight,” he says.

Try to get a better seat for free

Sometimes you can get extra legroom and a better seat without paying for an upgrade, says Brian Kelly, the founder of ThePointsGuy.com. He recommends asking the gate agent nicely (and early) if you can move into the bulkhead (the first row of economy class) or the exit row, which tends to have more legroom (just beware as the first row of exit rows often won’t recline, and most airlines do charge for exit row seats, though those with elite status may get the perk free, he adds). He says that you may also want to check on how full the plane is (he recommends using ExpertFlyer.com for this) as a fairly empty plane may mean an empty row, in which case you may care less about the extra legroom.

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