It’s the insider information that airlines won’t tell you – that some of their standard economy seats are actually bigger than others.
Researchers at consumer group Which? scoured the seating plans of popular airlines, including Ryanair and easyJet, and discovered that some had removed front storage lockers to jam in another row of passengers on one side of the cabin.
Which? Travel revealed: ‘The result is that seats towards the front of the plane aren’t actually the same size, with those on the right (seats D, E and F) often offering between an extra half-inch to inch of legroom versus those on the left.’
To find out if your flight has this configuration, says Which?, type your destination and departure dates into Google Flights to pull up the aircraft type, then punch this into seat-plan website AeroLopa to unveil the layout.
To see which operators and plane types this legroom hack works for – and for other seat upgrade tips – read on…
How to get more legroom with Ryanair
With Ryanair, seats D, E and F in rows 3 to 15 are the roomiest
Most Ryanair planes are Boeing 737s, says Which?, with AeroLopa revealing that seats D, E and F in rows 3 to 15 are the roomiest ‘in both possible configurations’.
‘That means an extra half-inch of legroom versus other standard seats,’ Which? remarks.
You could be randomly assigned one of these seats, or you can pick one for £9.
Which? adds that another way to upgrade your Ryanair seat is to check in late. It explains: ‘Those who don’t pay to pick a seat can check in from 24 hours to two hours before departure. The theory goes that the least desirable middle seats are allocated first because the airlines hope customers will change their minds and pay to upgrade.
‘The longer you wait, the more likely it is that aisle and window seats will open up.’
How to get more legroom with easyJet
On easyJet A321neos, choose rows three to 13 on the right-hand side
Flying on one of easyJet’s Airbus A321neos? If so, Which? recommends choosing the right-hand seats (D, E and F) in rows three to 13 for a 29-inch seat pitch.
By comparison, rows six to 17 (A, B or C) and rows 30 to 40 have a 28-inch pitch.
Rows three to 14 (D, E, F) are often roomier on short-haul Norwegian flights
How to get more legroom with Norwegian
The right-hand seat hack works on two Norwegian Boeing 737 planes, says Which?, with rows three to 14 (D, E, F) offering an extra 0.6 inches of leg space.
However, it recommends careful research because in the third configuration, the left-hand seats are bigger.
How to get a better seat with Wizz Air
Which? points out that the ‘sit on the right’ trick doesn’t work with Wizz Air – but notes: ‘Checking in late for your randomly allocated seat could work. It should mean you have more chance of getting a coveted window or aisle seat.’
How to get more legroom with British Airways
On BA A320s (above), avoid row 30, which has a ‘tight 28-inch seat pitch’
For BA’s short-haul Airbus A320 flights, Which? points out that ‘tail tapering leads to an inch less legroom at the back’.
So avoid row 30 and its ‘tight 28-inch seat pitch’.
Cancel and rebook
Most airlines allow you to move seats, says Which?, up to around two to three hours before departure, so ‘check the seat map on your booking to see if any prize positions have opened up’.
For more visit www.which.co.uk.
