Many airlines in the US do not provide enough legroom in their coach class. However, some airlines prioritize the comfort of their economy class passengers. Travel analytics site Upgraded Points broke down the numbers to find out which U.S. airlines offer the most legroom in economy class.
The Upgraded Points team analyzed data from the top 10 busiest domestic routes in the U.S. by total number of seats and, using the Google Chrome extension Legrooms for Google Flights, calculated each airline's average seat pitch – the distance between any point on a seat and the same Point on the seat directly in front or behind.
Each airline uses different aircraft with different legroom in their fleets. For example, the Embraer 190 had the largest average seat pitch at 32 inches, compared to just 28 inches for the Airbus A320neo.
While one might have expected the premium airlines to have the most legroom on average – and this is certainly true for their business class and first class offerings – the reality is that budget airline JetBlue has been found to have it Maximum legroom for economy passengers.
Photo: Airbus A321neo LR. Courtesy of JetBlue.
With an average seat pitch of 32.3 inches, JetBlue's average economy class seat pitch is more than four inches more generous than Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines.
Although 10 cm may not seem important, just a few centimeters of extra legroom can significantly increase comfort, especially on long-haul flights. JetBlue has a modern fleet consisting of Airbus A220, A320 and A321 aircraft and offers its passengers plenty of legroom.
The next best airline in economy legroom was another budget airline, Southwest Airlines, with an average seat pitch of 31.8 inches. While Southwest made headlines last year mostly for the wrong reasons, along with the generous legroom there are other great perks like free checked bags and flight changes.
Photo: Courtesy of Southwest Airlines
Alaska Airlines and Delta ranked third with an average seat pitch of 31 inches each. In fourth and fifth place were the airline giants American Airlines and United Airlines with slightly more compact average seat pitches of 30.2 and 30.1 inches, respectively.
Hawaiian Airlines went even smaller, offering an average seat pitch of 29 inches, followed by ultra-low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines in last place, each averaging 28 inches.
Photo: Airbus A330, extra comfort cabin. Courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines
Although flying with these airlines may not be the most comfortable experience, they consistently offer some of the lowest fares, making them still a viable option for many, especially on short-haul flights.
The US airlines with the most legroom:
| rank | airline | Average seat pitch |
| 1 | JetBlue Airways | 32.3 inches |
| 2 | Southwest Airlines | 31.8 inches |
| 3 | Alaska Airlines | 31.0 inches |
| 3 | Delta Airlines | 31.0 inches |
| 4 | American Airlines | 30.2 inches |
| 5 | United Airlines | 30.1 inches |
| 6 | Hawaiian Airlines | 29.0 inches |
| 7 | Frontier Airlines | 28.0 inches |
| 7 | Spirit Airlines | 28.0 inches |
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