Little known hack to get a better seat with Ryanair and EasyJet

New research from which? Travelers have discovered an easy way to get more legroom on Ryanair, easyJet and some other major airlines: sit on the right side of the plane.

When we reviewed seat plans for popular airlines, we found that some had removed the forward lockers to accommodate another row of paying passengers on one side of the plane.

The result is that the seats toward the front of the plane aren’t actually the same size, with those on the right (seats D, E, and F) often offering between half an inch and an inch of legroom compared to those on the left. .

Many of these seats are standard seats, so they can be randomly assigned for free, and will otherwise be the cheapest seat category to purchase.

A growing number of airlines have asymmetric planes like this. To find out if your flight fits the bill, enter your destination and dates into Google Flights to find the model number. Then use expert seating plans AeroLOPA to find the aircraft configuration.

Read on to see where this hack works and other tips to improve your seat.

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How to get a better seat with Ryanair

Almost all Ryanair aircraft are Boeing 737s. AeroLOPA’s seat plans show that seats D, E and F in rows 3-15 are the most spacious standard seats on the plane in both possible configurations. That means an extra half-inch of legroom compared to other standard seats.

Wait and see if you’re randomly allocated these seats for free, and if not, it’s as little as £9 to pick one.

But that’s not the only way to upgrade your seat. Checking in late could get you out of the dreaded middle seat.

Those who do not pay to choose a seat can check in from 24 hours to two hours before departure. The theory goes that the least desirable middle seats are assigned first because airlines hope customers will change their minds and pay to upgrade.

The longer you wait, the more likely aisle and window seats will open up.

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How to have more legroom with EasyJet

If you are flying on the Airbus A321neo, one of easyJet’s newest aircraft, choose the seats on the right (D, E and F) near the front (rows 3-13) for a seat pitch of 29 inches

EasyJet told us you’ll get a full inch more than on the left (rows 6-17 ABC) or at the back of the plane (rows 30-40), both of which offer 28 inches of knee pitch.

EasyJet uses these aircraft on routes flying to Tenerife and Lanzarote from Gatwick, among others.

You can check in with easyJet from 30 days to two hours before departure. If you’re not randomly allocated a standard seat on the right, you can pay as little as £6.50 to choose one.

How to have more leg room with Norwegian

which one The recommended provider for short-haul flights, Norwegian, also has some asymmetric cabins, which offer extra space if you choose wisely.

Their Boeing 737 has three different configurations, and in two of those layouts, the front (rows 3-14) right (DEF) has an extra 0.6 inches of legroom.

But in the third configuration, the seats on the left are larger, so it’s worth checking the plans before selecting a seat.

How to get more legroom with British Airways

Many planes shrink towards the queue with fewer seats in a row. On BA’s most common long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 777, this means the back rows are in pairs, perfect for couples.

But in most configurations of BA’s flagship short-haul aircraft, the Airbus A320, the tail trim leads to an inch less legroom in the back. If you can, avoid row 30 and its tight 28-inch seat pitch.

One way to ensure extra legroom on BA is to upgrade to Premium Economy. But our research has found that it’s not worth it. The service, which includes priority boarding and “better” food as well as seven inches of extra legroom, received just a 57% customer rating in our latest survey.

And it’s expensive. When we checked three long-haul flights this autumn, the average upgrade cost was £1,032. Fly in Economy and choose a leg-swinging front row seat, and you’ll pay just £161 more on average.

How to get a better seat with Wizz Air

The “sit on the right” trick does not work with Wizz Air. But checking in late for the randomly assigned seat might work. It should mean you have a better chance of getting a coveted window or aisle seat.

However, don’t leave it too late. Wizz Air’s online check-in closes one hour earlier than Ryanair’s. It is open until three hours before departure time.

Don’t forget the “cancel and rebook” trick.

Even if you’ve checked in and pre-selected a seat, most airlines allow you to change your mind until the seat map is locked about two to three hours before departure.

When all frequent flyers have been upgraded, check your reservation’s seat map to see if award positions have opened up. The website Expert flyer it even lets you create a free alert to tell you when a better seat is available.