Overview
- Short‑haul economy seat widths typically fall between 17 and 18 inches, based on Which? measurements of the distance between armrests.
- Airlines cited with the widest standard seats at 18 inches include Wizz Air, TAP Portugal, easyJet and Lufthansa, while carriers such as British Airways, Jet2, KLM, Norwegian, Ryanair, TUI and Aer Lingus are reported at 17 inches on some aircraft.
- Some coverage singles out Loganair at 17 inches as especially tight, underscoring that seat dimensions vary by aircraft type within an airline’s fleet.
- Seat pitch, a proxy for legroom, generally ranges from 28 to 32 inches, with Aer Lingus and British Airways around 29–30 inches and reports pointing to TAP Portugal at about 28 inches and Ryanair as short as 28 on certain planes.
- Which? advises low‑cost tactics for extra space such as choosing bulkhead or tapered rear rows and asking crew to move to empty seats, noting that upgrades like Premium Economy averaged 99% more than economy in 2023 and were not always judged good value.