These U.S. Airlines Have the Most and Least Legroom

For frequent flyers the varying amount of legroom on airplanes can be difficult to navigate. 

A recent study analyzed the amount of available legroom on varying airlines’ most popular routes, and ranked them in order of most legroom to least legroom. The clear winner was JetBlue while Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines tied in 7th place, according to the study from Upgraded Points. 

The full ranking for the airline seat legroom is:

1. JetBlue - 32.3 inches
2. Southwest Airlines - 32 inches
3. Alaska Airlines/Delta Air Lines (Tie) - 31.8 inches
4. American Airlines - 31 inches
5. United Airlines - 30.2 inches
6. Hawaiian Airlines - 30.1 inches
7. Frontier Airlines/Spirit Airlines (Tie) - 28

“We analyzed the seat pitch, the distance between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front of it, for an economy seat on the listed flights and calculated the average across each airline,” Upgraded Points Founder and CEO Alex Miller said in the analysis of the results. 

The data collected was focused on Economy seats. For comparison of how legroom varies among classes of service, the survey lists United's seat pitch at 30.2 inches, where the Economy Plus seat is 34 inches and the United First Seat is 37 inches. 

The amount, or potential lack of, legroom in airplane cabins has become an area of focus for aviation regulators. In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked for public comment from people who travel about the pitch and length of passenger airline seats in the United States. The goal of the exercise was to determine if the agency needed to step in with regulatory standards for the traveling public. 

In 2018, a Italian seat manufacturer debuted a seat concept called "SkyRider" that provided little legroom and was a nearly vertical standup.