Sit tight: The least comfy plane seats

Which airlines are the worst offenders when it comes to uncomfortable seats? Picture: Thinkstock

A COMFY seat is the Holy Grail of air travel. It could turn what may have been a nightmare trip into a great experience in the skies.

But how do you know which airlines have tried to cram too many seats into their planes?

Seat pitch – the distance from the back of your seat to the back of the seat in front of you – and seat width are the keys to a comfortable ride.

However take note, seat pitch is only a guide – the quality of the seat itself also comes into play, including how much padding it has, and whether there’s an in-flight entertainment box placed underneath the seat limiting the space for your legs.

We’ve done some of the leg work for you, and here are the worst offenders when it comes to economy seat space.

LEGROOM

How do Australian airlines size up?

If you like stretching out during your flight, be warned that some Jetstar planes have just 71 centimetres of seat pitch, and Tiger Airways planes offer 72.5cm. Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737s and their Embraer E-jets have a bit more room to move with seat pitches of about 76cm, and their Boeing 777s and Airbus 330s boast the most legroom of the Australian airlines, with a pitch of up to 84cm on the A330, and 81cm on the Boeing 777.

Most of Qantas’s fleet have a seat pitch of 79cm, with the A330, A380 and Boeing 747 giving you a few extra centimetres.

International airlines

It could be worse. Finnair’s Boeing 757s are not for the tall – or even average-height – flyer. With just 71cm seat pitch, the airline has crammed more economy seats into these planes than most other airlines in the world.

WIDTH

Australian airlines

If you’re after wriggle room in your seat, stay away from Qantas. Most of their fleet plane seats measure in at between 43cm and 45cm wide: The Boeing 737 and 767 are 43cm, the Airbus 330 is 44cm and the Boeing 747 is 45cm. Surprisingly, Jetstar’s A330-200 planes are 45cm wide, and Tiger’s seats are a comparatively roomy 46cm. Virgin Australia’s Boeing 777 is the widest at 47cm, and their Embraers make up for the lack of leg room with a seat width of 46cm.

International airlines

Ouch! European carriers Flythomascook and Thomson Airlines rival some of Qantas’s planes for narrowest seats – the Flythomascook Boeing 767 squeezes eights seats a row in, leaving passengers with 43cm.

OVERALL

Australian airlines

Overall, Qantas’s Boeing 737 and 767 models are going to be the least comfortable for economy flyers – with the narrowest seats and close to the shortest seat pitch of Australia’s major airlines.

International

Just avoid Flythomascook and Thomson Airlines. Their narrow, 43cm seats and 76cm pitch leaves you with barely room to move.

Sit tight: The least comfy plane seats