Airplane Legroom Guide

• By Nikki B
• Travel Tips
• 07.09.2016

When flying, being comfortable is important, especially when it comes to long flights. However, not all the airlines offer the same leg space, even when it comes to the economy class. Knowing beforehand how much legroom there is in each airplane makes it easier to choose the right flight for you, especially if you’re a tall person. Knowing which seats offer more legroom will also help you select the best seats for your built. Usually the width of the chairs is standard, especially for economy class: between 17 and 18”.

The economy class seats have a standard legroom of 30-32”, however some  aircrafts go as low as 30” and others allow the adjustment of the seat up to 33”. Generally the flying first class offers most leg space. The norm seems to be around 70-71” or around 80-81” depending on the carrier. You should probably avoid Air France’ Boeing 747-400 (CIO) (744) aircraft as its first class seats offer only 55” legroom. However American Airlines have 2 aircrafts with 40” legroom for their first class seats.  These are the Airbus A300-600 (AB6) and Boeing 737-800 (738) aircrafts. US Airways has the most space for the legs in its A330-300 airplane first class seats, at 94”.

You should also know that not all the planes have the same type of seat names. This can be confusing when for a specific trip you must fly with a different company. Many planes have only 2 classes, and only a few of them have 3 classes. Aircrafts with a single class are very rare. One of them operated for KLM, the Embraer ERJ-190 with 32” legroom for the Premium seats.

The seats located next to the exits also offer more legroom for those who really need it. These seats can be reserved, but not on all airway companies, or not on all planes.