As airlines swiftly acquire new aircraft such as the Airbus A321neo and Boeing 737 MAX to attain significant fuel efficiency gains, there’s a big price to be paid. That push for economic benefits comes at the expense of traveler comfort. While the width of seats on ubiquitous narrow-body aircraft is largely fixed by the fuselage, the space between rows, or seat pitch, is both highly variable and noticeably shrinking.
We recently flew on United Airlines from and to Hawaii and were surprised to see just how bad the legroom offered in economy was. On another trip, we also flew in their extra legroom economy (featured image), and the amount of legroom was quite extraordinary and provided an amazing difference in overall comfort.
Prioritizing profits over Hawaii flight passenger comfort.
Our 737 MAX flights in United Airlines economy provided just a 30-inch seat pitch. That was a significant reduction in legroom over what we’d experienced before and made for an overall worsening of the conditions onboard, as passengers contended with more discomfort and seemingly less ability to move around.
The concept continued with their deployment of “compact” lavatories, another aspect of downsizing passenger space. The lavatory strategy, together with less seat pitch, allows for the insertion of two additional seat rows on these narrow-body planes, maximizing seating capacity. Airlines are extending these changes by retrofitting older planes to emulate these measures to pursue heightened earnings.
Updates on US airline legroom.
In air travel, and especially long Hawaii flights, legroom isn’t a measure of luxury but rather of endurability related to a pleasant or at least tolerable journey to your island destination.
Not all airlines are created equal regarding legroom (seat pitch). Some airlines prioritize passenger comfort in the economy cabin itself, while for others, more space is a function of paid upgrades to an extra legroom product. Whether you are flying economy or choosing to pay extra can thus become an important part of deciding which airline to choose for your Hawaii vacation.
The U.S. Airlines With the Most and Least Legroom
For airlines flying to Hawaii, upgradedpoints.com confirms our prior finding that Southwest Airlines has the most legroom, with an average of 31.8 inches of seat pitch. Since Southwest offers no upgrades to more legroom for a fee, it is a part of their basic offering for all seats.
The next best were both Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines. These both average a tight but bearable 31.0 inches of seat pitch. These were followed by American Airlines with an average of 30.2 inches of legroom, then United, just slightly worse with 30.1 inches of seat pitch.
On average, Hawaiian Airlines was rated as having 29.0 inches of legroom. However, like American, Delta, and United, Hawaiian has paid upgrades to vastly more legroom, as seen below and in our Hawaiian Airlines economy review.
Aircraft With the Most and Least Legroom
The article also reported on which aircraft generally have better or worse legroom. That’s important as widebody aircraft certainly feel more roomy and comfortable, even if the legroom is no different.
Boeing was reported to have the most legroom when flying on their Boeing 767, 777 and 787 aircraft. As a side note, Hawaiian Airlines will start flying its first 787 this spring. These planes are reported to offer 31.0 inches of legroom on average. On the other hand, Airbus, especially their narrow-body A321neo planes, were said to have generally less legroom. According to SeatGuru, the A330, which was not included in this report, will offer 31.0 inches of pitch at Hawaiian Airlines. Based on the same source, their A321neo planes have just 30.0 inches of seat pitch.
How does legroom affect your decision when choosing an airline for longer Hawaii flights?
Leg room is mandatory for our flights from LA to Hon.
Not being able to rest our legs (feet and calf area) is detrimental to our health. Affects leg circulation, creates swelling and days to get back walking normally. Already negatively affecting our vacation time. Will not book with any airlines with the lack of this feature.
I will upgrade to Economy Plus whenever it is available. The additional room from the increased pitch makes a difference in comfort.
Being tall and a big guy, leg room is everything. I fly back and forth from LV to Hi on business multiple times a year, and being cramed into a seat isn’t a fun experience. Paying or getting upgrades to extra comfort seats are great, but, not alway possible. Economy is okay, but, we all feel pretty pinned into our seats.
Oh Me Oh My Oh Oh Oh! I am a very tall female. I ignorantly scheduled my flight based on the shortest time. Unfortunately, first the flight was cancelled due to the fires, then after rescheduling, it has been changed 4 times by the airlines and each time the seats were changed by said airlines and unable to pick my seats. soooo, unable now to even change airlines and stuck with my a320neo flights ……should i even go after all the now Greene fiasco going on. I hate throwing away hard earned money, but it may come down to just forgetting the flight. It has been so much stress and work on this vacation plan and now to think about my bad knees in a short seat for hours…is…..just toooooo much.
Is it possible to complain about this to the FAA or NTSB? With the seat pitch being so small is this contributing to more passenger rage? It is bad enough that the airlines are charging so much and giving so little. Is the flying public being price gouged for profit?
It was 53 inches on a tape measure from backrest to seatback over seat cussion. That was a safety feature, properly bucked-in passengers should be able to double over lap with room for head not to impact seatback during anticipated hard or crash landing. The order was to “Assume the crash position” without the sufficient headroom, there needs to be a pilot’s style lap and shoulder harness, I think four point seat belt. But that’s still with distance between seatback and knees even so at no extra cost, and more distance for passengers with longer legs, also at no extra cost. If they don’t want the legs, they don’t want the passengers, because passengers have legs.
I’ve always loved flying Hawaiian, but I’m a guy with long legs, and I need legroom! So my next flight is going to be on southwest. I hope it will be a good experience.
Profit, profit, profit. Maybe flying is getting to be an unjustified expense??? As a person whose first flight on a commercial airliner dates to the early 60s, I remember cloth covered wide and comfortable seats, plenty of leg room and served real food. Flight attendants (then called ‘stewardesses’) were all female (the purser, if a long flight, was usually male) in their twenties, and the aircraft were a mix of jets and props.
Now we fly faster, cramped into seats that larger persons can barely tolerate, and if food is served, the dog would turn it down. This is progress? Airlines compete these days via ‘fares’, not ‘service’, which used to be their ‘bragging points’. Flying isn’t ‘fun’ anymore, it’s an ‘endurance’.
The old days of flying were good except the harassment of flight attendants. It’s still rough on the females, but more harassers, “pursuers” do get contained and male flight attendants can be helpful in causing respect onboard. “Fun” is supposed to be for everyone, not just some men who fly. If ever we go back to anything from the old days of flying, I hope all men will learn to appreciate flying itself and let people work. Your flight attendants were and still are for your safety, not for your fantasies. They need the credit due for their smarts, training and the extra services of foods, drinks and items they conveniently offer.
Have you checked the cost of a ticket in constant dollars since the early 1960’s?
If you want to pay early 1960’s fares in constant dollars, you can get a 1960’s experience.