Revealed: The airways with the smallest seats

Have you ever felt cramped or squashed in your seat during a flight?

Perhaps you haven’t had enough leg room, or the person sitting next to you is spilling over into your seat? 

Well, your choice of airline could be to blame. 

The airlines with the smallest seats have been revealed – and the likes of Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 have been compared among others.

While most travellers would be forgiven for assuming that all planes have the same standard seating, research by consumer experts at Which? found that there can be differences depending on which airline you’re flying with. 

For short haul flights, the seat width – the distance between each armrest – typically ranges from 17 to 18 inches, The Mirror reports. 

Sure, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between 17 and 18 inches.

But that extra inch can make a world of difference if you’re crammed into a tight middle seat, for example.

The airlines with the smallest seats have been revealed – and the likes of Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 have been compared among others

According to the experts, the airlines offering the widest economy seats include Wizz Air, TAP Portugal, easyJet and Lufthansa, all boasting widths of 18 inches.

This leaves airlines like Aer Lingus, Jet2 and Norwegian with the narrowest seat widths, which can all be as low as 17 inches.

Meanwhile, Scottish airline Loganair was found to have the narrowest seats at 17 inches, perhaps owing to it operating smaller planes in its fleet carrying as few as eight or nine passengers. 

It must be noted that seat sizes were found to vary depending on the aircraft. 

It’s also worth looking at seat pitch, the distance between two seat rows and an indicator of leg room, if you’re considering comfort when booking your flight. 

While all of the major airlines had a seat pitch of between 28 and 32 inches, some were at the lower end of the scale, Chronicle Live reported.

Jet2 and British Airways were found to have a seat pitch of between 29 and 30 inches on their planes.

Meanwhile, easyJet and TUI were slightly lower at 29 inches across the board, while on Ryanair flights it can be as short as 28 inches, according to Which?.

For short haul flights, the seat width – the distance between each armrest – typically ranges from 17 to 18 inches

Are there any ways to get more bang for your buck – and better seat sizes?

The answer may not always be to fork out for an upgrade, the consumer experts warned.

Which? said: ‘One way to get a bit more room on most airlines is to upgrade. 

‘However, our research in 2023 found that Premium Economy tickets were 99 per cent more expensive than economy – and passengers who paid the extra cost weren’t always convinced it was good value.’