Consumer champions at Which? have shared a new travel hack that promises extra legroom on budget airlines like Ryanair and easyJet, but the tip has been met with mockery on social media. The trick, posted on Instagram, claims that choosing specific seats on the right-hand side of the plane can gain passengers an additional inch of legroom, roughly 2.5cm.
The hack explained
According to the Which? travel experts, the key is to sit on the right side of the aircraft. For Ryanair, which operates almost all Boeing 737s, seats D, E, or F in rows three to 15 offer the most legroom. With easyJet, passengers flying on the Airbus A321neo should choose seats D, E, or F in rows three to 13 to get an extra inch compared to sitting in rows six to 17 on the left-hand side.
The experts advise checking the specific aircraft model before booking, as all planes are different. Travelers can find the model number by checking their flight on Google, then use seat plan experts AeroLOPA to see the aircraft's configuration. In the caption, Which? added: 'It won’t turn economy into business class, but every centimetre counts.'
Social media reaction
Commenters were largely unimpressed by the tip. @sotostsorb replied, 'A whole inch? How generous of them,' while @thrflowerandhtesea shared a laughing crying emoji, writing 'An extra inch.' @katefay1was said, 'Life is much too short to spend hours checking what kind of plane to gain a measly one inch extra leg room.' @kristinagillfood added, 'One inch is inconsequential for leg room. For butt room on the other hand…' And @chasingafterhewind91 branded it the 'worst travel hack ever', saying, 'I’m sorry, choose to pay for a particular seat for an extra inch? Because that will make so much difference…'
Related travel news
This comes after it was announced that two European airports serving easyJet and Ryanair customers are set to close. Brussels South Charleroi Airport in Belgium will close for three months in 2028, between August 15 and October 31, for a major runway upgrade. Ryanair has a base at Charleroi, operating flights to destinations like Tirana, Vienna, Sarajevo, Sofia, Zagreb, Prague, and Barcelona.
Additionally, Almería Airport in Spain will close temporarily for six days in 2028 for runway improvements. easyJet operates direct flights from London Southend Airport to Almería, taking 2 hours and 45 minutes, as well as a route from Gatwick. The airport serves the Andalusia region and accommodates around 800,000 passengers per year.
