What are the best seats for extra leg room?

Exit row seats Seats in the Emergency Exits rows usually offer more legroom ? and many airlines charge extra for these seats ? but beware of the window seats. On wide-body aircraft, the bulky compartment protruding from the door that houses the emergency slides may inhibit your legroom.



For the best legroom in 2026, the undisputed leaders are Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA), which offer an industry-leading 34 inches of seat pitch in standard economy. For domestic U.S. travelers, JetBlue is the top choice, providing 32 to 34 inches of space. Within any aircraft, the best specific seats for extra room are the Exit Row seats and the Bulkhead seats (the front row of a section). Exit rows provide significant knee clearance but often have narrower seats due to tray tables in the armrests. Bulkheads offer great legroom but no "under-seat" storage. In 2026, many "hybrid" carriers like Air Premia also offer a specialized premium economy product with up to 35 inches of pitch, making them a high-value alternative to the cramped 28–30 inches found on budget carriers like Spirit or Frontier.

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Best seat for legroom: A bulkhead or exit-row seat. Best seat for sleeping: A window seat in a bulkhead row. Best seat for extra space without a seatmate: A seat towards the back. Best seat for a tight connection: A seat closest to the front exit.

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What Are the Worst Seats on a Plane?
  • The dreaded middle seat is our pick for the worst seat on a plane. ...
  • Seats towards the back of the plane tend to experience more turbulence than those towards the front. ...
  • An aisle seat located near a bathroom is one of the worst seats on the plane.


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Extra Legroom Seats are located in the Economy cabin, in rows with additional space or at emergency exits. These seats are just as comfortable and recline in the same way as other seats in the cabin. The Extra Legroom Seat is available for all flights.

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United calls its roomier seats Economy Plus. Economy Plus seats have 34–36 inches of legroom, depending on the plane. They're available on all mainline United flights and some larger jets run by United Express carriers.

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Airlines with the Most Seat Space in Economy
  • Jet Blue. Jet Blue is the leader in the “most pitch” and “widest seat” contest because the majority of their economy and coach class seats are roomy. ...
  • Air Canada. ...
  • Virgin America. ...
  • Hawaiian Airlines. ...
  • American Airlines. ...
  • Cathay Pacific. ...
  • Emirates.


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The following airlines have some seats with widths below 17 inches, making them among the smallest in the industry: Qatar Airways. China Southern. Caribbean Airlines.

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The Best Seats for Larger People Choose a middle seat in the back rows of the plane, then cross your fingers the flight isn't fully booked, or no one sits next to you. But that's a lot to leave to chance. So, in the name of your space—and sanity—go with the sure bet of an aisle seat every time.

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“It goes without saying, but always try to get an exit row seat,” says Paul Miller, founder of Family Skier. “The fact is that many exit row seats have more legroom than a [domestic] first-class seat. This usually involves snagging the seat online at the time of booking or well before the flight.”

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Yes it's normal for tray tables to be located in the armrests of extra legroom seats meaning the seat is slightly narrower (an inch or so) and the armrests are fixed - it's the trade off for having around 5 inches of extra legroom.

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In terms of legroom, your best bet is rows 13-25 in JetBlue planes, which give you 34 of seat pitch on a slightly wider than normal, 17.8 seat. Delta Song, Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines' signature service jets and Independence Air's Airbus A320 planes also give you 33 of room.

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There is less turbulence towards the front and especially between the wings of the plane, since this area is more stable. For the same reason, if you suffer from motion sickness, it would also be better to be seated close to the wings.

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The Worst Seats on an Airplane for Turbulence Therefore, it may be best to avoid seats in the back of the plane, where there seems to be more movement. Although middle seats probably won't mean you'll feel any more or less turbulence, nervous flyers may want to avoid them.

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So many travelers struggle with this fear, so the best way to cope is to find a seat with plenty of space. The least crowded section of the plane is first or business class. But if upgraded flying isn't in your budget there are still options. Try sitting in an aisle seat in an exit row towards the front of the plane.

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If you're going to sit in economy, you want to be sure you select a Main Cabin Extra seat. These are the best seats you'll find in the rear section of the plane. What makes these seats special is that they have extra pitch — that is, the distance between the seat back of one seat to the seatback of the seat in front.

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