Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways and other airlines' legroom from best to worst

Your holiday excitement might take a nosedive the moment you board the plane and realise you've less space than you thought. It can also cost extra to upgrade to more spacious seats, so if comfort while flying is important to you, you may want to check before booking.

Legroom and seat comfort can differ significantly between airlines. Thankfully, a 2023 survey from consumer champion Which? compares legroom and seat width across 12 top short-haul carriers from the UK.

Which? experts measured "seat pitch" - the distance from your seat back to the one in front - as an indicator of legroom. The results indicated that Wizz Air and TUI had the smallest seat pitches.

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TAP Portugal and Jet2's legroom varied, averaging between 28 and 31 inches, while EasyJet offered 29 inches and Ryanair was slightly roomier at 30 inches. Which? also examined seat width - the space between armrests - and found most airlines hovered around 17 inches.

However, easyJet, TAP Portugal, and Lufthansa flyers can enjoy a bit more elbow room, with seats providing 18 inches between armrests, as reported by the Express.

Full list of airlines and the legroom offered

• Wizz Air - 28 inches

• TUI - 28 inches

• Jet2 - 28-31 inches

• TAP Portugal - 28-31 inches

• EasyJet - 29 inches

• Vueling - 29-30 inches

• British Airways - 29-31 inches

• Norwegian - 29-31 inches

• KLM - 29-33 inches

• Ryanair - 30 inches

• Lufthansa - 30-32 inches

• Aer Lingus - 31-32 inches