Shrinking airline seats: The positives and negatives

With reports that cash strapped airlines are reducing seat size to increase revenue, it could pay you to check the measurements before you book - particularly if you are tall.

The Sunday Times recently reported that airlines including Air France and Lufthansa are replacing old style steel-framed seats with lighter models which allows them to squeeze more seats into an aircraft therefore generate more revenue per flight.

This is causing shrinking elbow room and leg room, with the average economy class leg-room shrinking by over 3 inches since 1978. Thankfully there is a limit to the number of seats which can be squeezed in as airlines are required by the Civil Aviation Authority to provide a minimum seat pitch of no less than 26 inches.

Shrinking seat size isn't necessarily a bad thing

If shrinking seats also leads to shrinking prices, then it's not necessarily a bad thing. Squeezing more seats in obviously enables airlines to sell them at a cheaper price and research shows that price is usually considered more important than comfort on short flights, but once the flight gets longer comfort starts to become much more important.

How to check the amount of legroom available

Airline seating space is generally measured by ‘seat pitch'. This is the distance between a point in the headrest on one seat and the same point on the seat in front. Seat pitch doesn't give you an exact measurement of legroom, but it does give a good indication and is a universally used measurement, which makes it a useful way of comparing different airlines and aircraft.

If you are worried about leg-room and seat pitch why not compare what each airline has to offer, or find which seat on your chosen flight will have the most room.

Seatguru.com publishes seat pitch information by airline and aircraft along with other cabin comfort information such as cabin plans, seat width and whether they provide wi-fi or laptop plugs.

Visit Seatguru.com to find out more before you book your next flight.

Remember, who ever you choose to fly with, it's important to have comprehensive travel insurance in place before you leave the UK.

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