This is the inside information 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 have removed forward storage lockers to jam a different row of passengers to one side of the cabin.
Which? Reis revealed: ‘The result is that seats at the front of the plane are not 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 opposite to that on the left.’
To find out if your flight has this configuration, say Which?, enter your destination and departure dates Google Flights to pull up the aircraft type then punch it into the seat plan website AeroLopa to reveal the layout.
To see which operators and aircraft 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 most spacious
Most Ryanair planes are Boeing 737s, says Which?, with AeroLopa revealing that seats D, E and F in rows 3 to 15 are the most spacious ‘in both possible configurations’.
“That means an extra half-inch of legroom over other standard seats,” Which? comments.
You can be randomly allocated one of these seats, or you can choose one for £9.
Which? adds that another way to upgrade your Ryanair seat is to check in late. It explains: ‘Those who do not pay to select a seat can check in from 24 hours to two hours before departure. The theory is that the least desirable middle seats are assigned 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, select rows three to 13 on the right
Flying on one of easyJet’s Airbus A321neos? If so, which one? recommends choosing the right-hand seats (D, E and F) in rows three through 13 for a 29-inch seat height.
By comparison, rows six through 17 (A, B or C) and rows 30 through 40 have a 28-inch pitch.
Rows three to 14 (D, E, F) are often more spacious on Norwegian short-haul flights
How to get more legroom with Norwegian
The right-hand seat heel works on two Norwegian Boeing 737 planes, says Which?, with rows three through 14 (D, E, F) offering an extra 0.6 inches of legroom.
However, it recommends careful research because in the third configuration the left-hand seats are larger.
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 assigned seat can work. This should mean you have a better 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 height’
For BA’s short-haul Airbus A320 flights, which? points out that ‘tail slimming results in an inch less legroom in the rear’.
So avoid row 30 and its ‘stiff 28-inch seat height’.
Cancel and rebook
Most airlines allow you to move seats, says Which?, until about two to three hours before departure, so ‘check the seat map on your booking to see if any award positions have opened up’.
For more visit www.which.co.uk.
