The emergence of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Economy Class Syndrome has raised awareness of legroom space on airplanes. Click here to read more about DVT.
Traditionally, seating space has been measured by "seat pitch", which is the distance between a point in the headrest on one seat and the same point on the seat in front of it. If an airline has a seat pitch of 32" in Economy Class, this means that there is a distance of 32" between the front of one seat and the front of the seat behind it.
While seat pitch is not the exact equivalent of "legroom", it gives a very good approximation of how much seat room you should expect.
Seat pitch varies from airplane to airplane; please treat this as a guide.
Scheduled Airlines:
| Airline | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class |
| Aer Lingus | 32" | * | 52" | * |
| |
| Aeroflot | 32" | * | 38-58" | * |
| |
| Air Algerie | 32" | * | 36" | * |
| |
| Air Baltic | 30-32" | * | * | * |
| |
| Air Canada | 31-34" | 38-40" | 58" | 60" |
| |
| Air China | 34" | * | 42" | 62" |
| |
| Air France | 31-34" | 36" | 55-79" | 82" |
| |
| Air India | 31-34" | * | 47-76" | 80-82" |
| |
| Air Jamaica | 31-32" | * | 60-84" | * |
| |
| Air Malta | 30" | * | 32" | * |
| |
| Air Mauritius | 31" | * | 60" | 73" |
| |
| Air New Zealand | 32-34" | 38-40" | 42-80" | * |
| |
| Air Seychelles | 32" | * | 50" | * |
| |
| Alitalia | 32" | * | 60" | * |
| |
| All Nippon Airways | 31" | 38" | 62-63" | 77" |
| |
| American Airlines | 30-34" | * | 49-60"1 | 88-92" |
| |
| Austrian Airlines | 32" | * | 57-59" | * |
| |
| bmi | 31-32" | 49" | 78-80" | * |
| |
| British Airways | 30-37" | 38" | 73" | 78" |
| |
| Brussels Airlines | 31" | * | 62" | * |
| |
| Caribbean Airlines | 32-34" | * | 47-60" | * |
| |
| Cathay Pacific Airways | 32" | * | 45-60" 1 | 79-81" |
| |
| China Eastern | 32" | * | 60" | 80" |
| |
| Czech Airlines | 32" | * | 47" | * |
| |
| Cyprus Airways | 31-32" | * | 41-42" | * |
| |
| El Al Airlines | 32-34" | * | 45-62" | 77" |
| |
| Emirates | 32-34" | * | 46-60" | 69-86" |
| |
| Etihad Airlines | 31-33" | * | 88" | 88" |
| |
| Finnair | 28-32" | * | 60" | * |
| |
| Gulf Air | 32-34" | * | 47-73" | 74-83" |
| |
| Iberia | 31" | * | 60" | * |
| |
| Icelandair | 32-33" | * | 39" | * |
| |
| Japan Airlines | 30-32" | 38 | 62" 1 | 79" |
| |
| JAT Yugoslav Airlines | 32" | * | 36" | * |
| |
| Kenya Airways | 32" | * | 76" | * |
| |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | 30-34" | 33" | 60" | * |
| |
| Korean Air | 31-35" | * | 50" | 82" |
| |
| LOT Polish Airlines | 30-32" | * | 37-57" | * |
| |
| Lufthansa | 30-33" | * | 30-60" | 85-92" |
| |
| Luxair | 32" | * | 32" | * |
| |
| Malev | 32" | * | 40" | * |
| |
| Malaysia Airlines | 32-34" | * | 45-62" | 75" |
| |
| MEA | 32" | * | 42"-48" | * |
| |
| Olympic Airways | 32" | * | 58" | * |
| |
| Pakistan International Airlines | 32" | * | 60" | * |
| |
| Qantas | 31-32" | 38-42" | 50-80" | 79-83.5" |
| |
| Qatar Airways | 32-34" | * | 61" | 78-79" |
| |
| Royal Air Maroc | 32" | * | 36" | * |
| |
| Royal Brunei Airlines | 32" | * | 57" | * |
| |
| Royal Jordanian | 34" | * | 82" | * |
| |
| SAS | 32" | 38" | 61" | * |
| |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | 34" | * | 45" | 64" |
| |
| Singapore Airlines | 32-34" | 37" | 50-60" | 60-81" |
| |
| South African Airways | 31"-34" | * | 73" | * |
| |
| Sri Lankan Airlines | 32" | * | 48" | * |
| |
| Swiss International Airlines | 32" | * | 60" | 83" |
| |
| TAP Air Portugal | 33" | * | 46" | * |
| |
| Thai Airways International | 34" | 42" | 60" | 70-78" |
| |
| Turkish Airlines | 30-36" | * | 34-61" | 83" |
| |
| United Airlines | 31-33" | 34-36" | 50-77" | 78-88" |
| |
| Varig Brazilian Airlines | 32" | * | 45" | 65" |
| |
| Virgin Atlantic Airways | 31-32" | 38" | * | 79.5" |
| |
Low-cost airlines: |
| Airline | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class |
| Aer Arann | 30-31" | * | * | * |
| |
| Air Berlin | 30-33" | * | 53-54" | * |
| |
| Air Southwest | 31" | * | * | * |
| |
| bmibaby | 29-31" | * | * | * |
| |
| easyJet | 29" | * | * | * |
| |
| Flybe | 31" | * | * | * |
| |
| Germanwings | 30" | * | * | * |
| |
| Jet2 | 30" | 34" | * | * |
| |
| Monarch Airlines | 28-29" | 34" | * | * |
| |
| Ryanair | 30" | * | * | * |
| |
| Thomson Airways | 28-33" | 36" | * | * |
| |
| Transavia | 29" | * | * | * |
| |
| Wizz Air | 30" | * | * | * |
| |
| 1 depending on aircraft. |
| |
© Cheapflights Ltd
Updated April 2009
