10 Airlines With Most Legroom on International Flights

For your next vacation abroad, you might want to consider booking a flight aboard one of the 10 airlines with most legroom on international flights. That is, if you love your legs.

On many flights, legroom isn’t a problem for business class travelers, whose seats usually allow them to sit comfortably and even lie down to sleep in some cases. However, it seems like you have to own a big business nowadays to be able to afford business class accommodations on flights. For the rest of us, who wouldn’t want to blow a month’s worth of wages on an airline ticket, we opt to book a flight in economy class. And what we save in money, we sacrifice in terms of comfort and other factors that would have made for a more pleasant flight. The importance of comfort becomes more emphasized during international flights, which take longer and therefore put more strain on our legs.

Nonetheless, there are a lot of ways to improve the experience of flying economy. You may choose your seat in advance, to make sure that you get one with enough leg room and to avoid being seated near emergency exits. You can also look into reviews of each airline, specifically for those who just bought newer and better-equipped planes. In fact, there are dozens of websites that can help you compare airlines, gauge flight experiences, and set high expectations for your next plane ride.

One such website that helps you look into airlines’ comfort levels is SeatGuru, which is owned by Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ:TRIP). SeatGuru compiles thousands of reviews on airlines and the conditions of their seats, whether economy or business class. The website even goes into detail on which specific flights have seats with great seat width and legroom. It will even list the number of inches for that legroom, also known in airplane parlance as seat pitch, or the length of the gap between your seat and the one in front of you. Information on seat specifics for each airline is sorted according to class (economy, premium economy, business) and flight length (short-haul or long-haul). For the purposes of this survey, we’ll stick to long-haul economy class flights, as they represent a significant majority of the international flights that common people take. Besides, this group of people (definitely including me, and perhaps you as well) would really benefit from a few extra inches of seat pitch.

For most economy class flights, the seat pitch is between 29 and 32 inches. But not for this list of the 10 airlines with most legroom on international flights, which we ranked according to their seat pitch, while also adding information on what other specifics to expect related to their seats, as well as the specific airplane model(s) the airlines use. Check out the list beginning on the next page.

If you’re looking into good economy class experiences beyond just the legroom, you’ll also want to check out Insider Monkey’s list of the 10 best airlines to fly international economy class, which takes into account factors such as entertainment, flight attendant courtesy, and other details of an economy flight. Now, let’s see our list of airlines with most legroom on international flights.

10. Finnair

Seat pitch on Finnair flights: 35 to 37 inches

Seat Width: 18 inches

Planes Used: Boeing 767-300 (763) V2, Airbus A330-300 (333) V1

Other Info: On-demand TV, Laptop power on all seats

Roman Vukolov / Shutterstock.com

9. Airberlin

Seat pitch on Airberlin flights: 36 inches

Seat Width: 17.7 inches

Planes Used: Airbus A330-200 (332)

Other Info: On-demand TV

muratart/Shutterstock.com

8. Asiana Airlines

Seat pitch on Asiana flights: 36 inches

Seat Width: 18 inches

Planes Used: Airbus A350-900 (359)

Other Info: On-demand TV, Laptop power on all seats (AC Power), Offers Wi-Fi

7. LATAM Brasil

Seat pitch on LATAM Brasil flights: 36 inches

Seat Width: 18 inches

Planes Used: Airbus A350-900 (359)

Other Info: On-demand TV, AC Power, Offers Wi-Fi

06photo/Shutterstock.com

6. Edelweiss Air

Seat pitch on Edelweiss Air flights: 36 inches

Seat Width: 17-18 inches

Planes Used: Airbus A330-300 (332, 333, 343)

Other Info: On-demand TV

5. Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:HA), d/b/a Hawaiian Airlines

Seat pitch on flights at Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:HA), d/b/a Hawaiian Airlines: 36 inches

Seat Width: 18 inches

Planes Used: Airbus A330-200 (332), V1 and V2

Other Info: On-demand TV, Laptop power on all seats (V2 flights) or some seats (V1 flights)

Scottt13 / Shutterstock.com

4. El Al Israel Airlines

Seat pitch on El Al Israel Airlines flights: 36inches

Seat Width: 18 inches

Planes Used: Boeing 767-300 (763) V2 and V3, Boeing 747-400 (744) V1

Other Info: On-demand TV or video on portable device, Laptop power on all seats (AC Power)

Ian Schofield/Shutterstock.com

The next two airlines in this list of the 10 airlines with most legroom on international flights are major U.S airlines.

3. American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL)

Seat pitch on American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL) flights: 36-38 inches

Seat Width: 17.0 or 18.0-18.5 inches

Planes Used: Boeing 777-200 (777) V2, Boeing 757-200 (752) V4

Other Info: Overhead TV or On-Demand TV, Laptop power on all seats (AC Power), offers Wi-Fi

Now, let’s see the top two entries on our list of airlines with most legroom on international flights.

2. United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL)

Seat pitch on United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE:UAL) flights: 37 inches

Seat Width: 17.3 inches

Planes Used: Boeing 757-200 (752) V1 Intl

Other Info: On-demand TV, Laptop power on some seats (AC Power), Offers Wi-Fi

Ronnie Chua / Shutterstock.com

1. WestJet Airlines

Seat pitch on WestJet Airlines flights: 38 inches

Seat Width: 20 inches

Planes Used: Boeing 767-300ER (76W)

Other Info: Seatback TV, AC Power, Offers Wi-Fi, Recliner seats

This extraordinary focus on passenger comfort puts WestJet on top of this list of the 10 airlines with most legroom on international flights.

Lester Balajadia/Shutterstock.com

Disclosure: None