Economy legroom keeps shrinking. Average seat pitch has slid from about 35 inches in the 1970s to roughly 30 today, and no regulator anywhere sets a minimum — the FAA only cares that a plane can be evacuated in 90 seconds. So a handful of airlines that never joined the squeeze now stand out, and knowing who they are can make a long-haul flight dramatically more bearable.

The surprise leader is Air Premia, a small South Korean hybrid carrier flying Boeing 787-9s from Seoul Incheon to Los Angeles, Newark and Honolulu. On three of its nine aircraft, economy pitch hits 35 inches (89 cm) — the most generous of any scheduled airline. The catch: six 787s inherited from Norwegian's defunct long-haul arm run 33 inches, and a denser layout exists too, so your booking is roughly a one-in-three shot at the headline figure. Seats are also industry-standard width at 17 to 17.5 inches, since the airline spent its cabin space on knee room instead of shoulder room.

Japan Airlines and ANA both hit 34 inches across much of their long-haul fleets. JAL is the one to watch for a different reason: it's the only airline still flying the 787 in an eight-abreast 2-4-2 layout while everyone else went nine-abreast. That means seats 18 inches wide or more, plus 13-inch screens and power outlets — a cabin spacious in both dimensions, and the reason JAL held Skytrax's best economy seat award six years running through 2025. ANA is adding new Recaro seats on its 787-9s in summer 2026 with an extra inch of knee space.

Emirates matches 34 inches on its A380s, with 18-inch seats — but only on the A380, so check the aircraft type before booking. Korean Air offers 33-34 inches on older widebodies yet just 31-32 on its new A321neos and 787-10s, and with the Asiana merger, observers expect pitch to drift down rather than up. Oman Air runs 34 inches on its 787s against 31 on its 737s.

Two lessons apply across the board. First, headline legroom figures apply to specific aircraft, not whole fleets — the generous seats tend to be on older widebodies nearing retirement. Second, Skytrax awards don't equal legroom: Cathay Pacific won the overall 2025 economy category while offering 32 inches, and Air Premia doesn't appear on the Skytrax list at all despite holding the world pitch record.

For US travellers, JetBlue leads domestically at 32-34 inches, with Southwest near 31.8 and Alaska and Delta around 31 — four inches more than Frontier or Spirit offer.

If legroom is your priority, book by aircraft type rather than by airline name, and note that the leaders' 34-inch figures are close to what was simply standard fifty years ago. Credit: Simple Flying.