Airlines That Offer the Most Legroom In Economy
Ariana Arghandewal June 25, 2018
Avoiding international economy class is one of the main reasons I got into this hobby. Depending on the airline you’re flying, it can be downright unbearable. I’m only 5’3 and I once barely survived a 16-hour flight in economy class. It sucks, so I do what I can to avoid it. However, it’s not always avoidable and sometimes you gotta bite the bullet and sit in the cheap seats. If you can have your pick of airlines, definitely try to go with one that offers the most legroom and seat pitch. Below is a list of airlines that offer the most seat pitch in economy class:
JetBlue
It’s pretty surprising that JetBlue comes in first, despite being a domestic carrier. Seat pitch on the A320 tops out at 39 inches. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, compare it to the lowest ranking airline when it comes to pitch: Iberia Airlines’ A319 economy class seats, which which clocks in at just 28 inches. You’ll be glad to know JetBlue flies to over 100 destinations, including Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.
WestJet
Canadian carrier WestJet’s 767-300ER offers 38 inches of pitch in economy class, which is great if you’re traveling through Canada. It certainly makes sitting in economy class much more bearable than, say, Frontier or Thai Airways. Both planes have economy seats with just 28 inch pitch.
United Airlines
Who would have thought that United (or any domestic carrier) would make this list? United’s 757-200 economy class seats offer 36-37 inches of pitch, placing them third on the list. Not bad, United! You’re doing something right.
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines’s Airbus A330 and A321 are pretty nice. In addition to an upgraded business class seat, they offer 36-37 inches of pitch in economy class. That’s the third fourth highest on the list. One more excuse to fly out to Hawaii more often…
American Airlines
Another shocker on this list: American Airlines rounds out this top 5 list with 36-37 inch pitch onboard their 777-200 economy class cabin. It’s nice to know that not everything with The New American is negative. I personally like flying American on domestic flights, so it’s great to know that they rank in the top 5 when it comes to economy seat pitch.
So the next time you have to fly economy class, consider flying one of the carriers listed above. You’ll get a bit more pitch, which will make flying in economy class just a little more comfortable. Aside from pitch, it’s equally important to have a large seat, so be sure to read my post that covers which airlines have the largest economy class seats.
That being said, I want to hear from you all: What has been your most comfortable experience flying in economy class? If you have your tips for getting comfortable in economy class during long flights, be sure to share those in the comment section.
So the person writing the article has no clue about the realities of seat pitch and cost. Is there anyone like a live editor employed in this?
I remember the magical day when American announced they were offering the BEST SEAT PITCH in the business - this was probably back in the 90's. Minimum 32"! I became a loyal customer for a long time. But this article is so illinformed that one has to wonder what is the purpose! Is it misplaced humour or trying to rile up everyone who can remember when even in economy a window passenger could reach the aisle without anyone having to move. How far we have dropped!
Yes, this article is COMPLETELY WRONG. Every single one of the cases above claims that economy has 36+ inches, and that's NOT TRUE of normal economy seats. That only applies to special "extra legroom" sections or special "extra legroom" seats that you either need to pay extra for or else you need to have elite status to get free access to them. And lots of other airlines not mentioned in this article have the same kinds of extra legroom seats. So this article is further misleading by making it seem like these airlines have more room than others in regular economy, which is absolutely NOT TRUE. FlyerTalk should get rid of this article and replace it with a link to the chart that Great White North posted above. Thanks, Great White North!
Very misleading article. Is the American 777-200 after their refurb where they shoved in 10 across and made the aisles so small normal humans can't walk in them without bumping the seated pax?
waiting ?