Beat the crush in the economy with extra legroom seats… here’s how much it’ll cost.
Looking for more comfort in the economy? Extra legroom seats give travellers the chance to stretch out during flights but at an additional cost. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect to pay across major airlines. Prices vary significantly based on the airline, route, and seat location, starting as low as £5 on SAS and reaching up to £209 on Emirates for premium routes.
Booking online often provides the best deals, as many airlines offer discounted prices and easy seat selection options when booking directly through their websites.
| Airline | Price Range | More info |
| Aer Lingus | £15.99 – £79.99 | Here |
| Air Canada | £16 – £160 | Here |
| Air France | From £10 | Here |
| Air New Zealand | £10 – £85 | Here |
| Air Seychelles | £26 – £55 | Here |
| American Airlines | From £15 | Here |
| British Airways | From £20 | Here |
| Cathay Pacific | £37 – £170 | Here |
| easyJet | From £12.99 | Here |
| Emirates | £24.00 – £209.00 | Here |
| Jet2 | From £18 | Here |
| KLM Airways | £10 – £110 | Here |
| Lufthansa | £22 – £90 | Here |
| Qantas | £19 – £130 | Here |
| Ryanair | From £11 | Here |
| SAS | £5 – £47 | Here |
| Singapore Airlines | From £20 | Here |
| TUI | From £25 | Here |
| Virgin Atlantic | From £40 | Here |
Many airlines offer seats with extra legroom – such as bulkhead rows and those next to emergency exits – for an additional premium. Use this guide to see the latest prices charged by major airlines – and how you can get hold of these sought-after seats.
Click below to see if it’s possible – and how much it’ll cost – to book extra legroom on your flight – adding the extra bit of VIP luxury you deserve. Booking online will often give you the best prices.
Extra legroom charges:
Find out how much it’ll cost you to add inches to your seating when flying with these airlines.
Aer Lingus
Located in the exit row, extra legroom seats are perfect for stretching out.
What to book?
Exit row seats
How much: Short haul – £15.99 and long haul – £79.99
Air Canada
Extra legroom seats come with up to 4 inches of extra space and you’ll get to board earlier and exit sooner.
What to book?
Book ‘preferred’ seats
How much: From around £11 to £142 per one way flight.
More information here
Air France
Booking a Seat Plus will give you extra legroom when flying economy and are typically located next to emergency exit doors.
What to book?
Book ‘Seat Plus’
How much: Short haul – £9, medium haul – £13 to £18 and long haul – £45 to £63
Air New Zealand
If you’re looking to stretch out then you can get extra legroom with Air New Zealand – you’ll enjoy extra space in an exit row seat
What to book?
Exit Row Seat
How much: Short haul – £10 to £30 and long haul – £75 to £85
Air Seychelles
With an extra legroom seat you’ll get over 70% more legroom than a standard economy seat.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From £26 to £55
American Airlines
With Main Cabin Extra seating, you’ll get extra legroom, preferred boarding and an earlier exit when you land.
What to book?
Book Main Cabin Extra seating
How much: From around £15 depending on flight
More information here
British Airways
Exit row seats are available on long haul flights but you’ll have to meet certain safety requirements.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From £50 per flight for exit row seats
More information here
Cathay Pacific
Extra legroom seats are available for both short haul and long haul flights.
What to book?
Book an extra legroom seat
How much: Short haul – £37 and long haul – £113
easyJet
Extra legroom seats with easyJet will be first row seats and you’ll get to board first.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From £9.49 – £26.99
More information
Emirates
Extra legroom seats are available but you’ll need to meet the safety requirements to be eligible.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From £42.00 – £103.00
More information
Jet2
All customers are allocated a seat before check-in and you can choose an extra legroom seat for additional comfort.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From roughly £18 but depends on your flight.
More information
KLM Airways
With ‘comfort’ seats you’ll get up to 89cm of extra legroom and up to 18cm of extra recline.
What to book?
Book ‘comfort’ seats
How much: From around £10 – £110
More information
Lufthansa
You can book your preferred seat directly when booking your flight or you later on the ‘my bookings’ link.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From around £22 – £35 for short haul and £45 – £90 for long haul
More information
Qantas
You can select your extra legroom seat up to 24 hours before departure.
What to book?
Book an extra legroom seat
How much: Short haul – £19, Medium haul – £69 and long haul – £130
Ryanair
You can book your seat legroom seats up to two hours before your flight and you’ll get priority boarding included with your seat.
What to book?
Book ‘Premium’ seats
How much: From £11.00
More information
SAS
You can book an exit row seat at the time of book or 22 hours before departure.
What to book?
Exit row seats
How much: Short haul – £5 to £17 and long haul – £48
Singapore Airlines
As well as extra legroom, you’ll get a wider seat pitch and be located near the exits.
What to book?
Book Preferred Seats
How much: From £18 to £85
Thomson Airlines
Choosing a seat with extra legroom will also get you up to two extra inches on your seat pitch and priority access to online check-in.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From £25
Virgin Atlantic
You can book your extra legroom seats up to 24 hours before departure.
What to book?
Book extra legroom seats
How much: From £40 each way
More information
Booking seats on Jet 2 vary from £9 for any standard seat to £25 for extra leg room. Don’t know where they get the £10 from – certainly not for extra leg room!!
I will update this link
I’m sure you have been asked this before – why do the economy airlines restrict printing the boarding pass until 24hrs before flying even if you pre-book and pay for seats together, which could be seen as an extortion anyway? this can/am sure is stressful mainly for elderly passengers with this uncertainty of getting your travel arrangements finalised.
Once you have booked the holiday the seats are pre-paid for anyway.
MW
I’ve always thought it was so the airline did not have travelers showing up a day, a week or a month ahead of time.
I have seen very many things much more bizarre than that happen at airline ticket counters.
If you cannot check in until after the same flight number on the day before your booked journey has left (supposedly) then you cannot possibly think you were to be at the airport on an earlier day.
This has become even more necessary in the current environment where every passenger is their own travel agent (remember those?) It is not uncommon for travelers to have booked their ticket for the wrong day or month due to a variety of reasons when making online bookings.
By waiting until the last minute, the airline has more chance of ‘selling’ the seat and making money. Also I think they have to know how many passengers there are going to be on a flight to distribute the seats evenly.
Found leg room quite adequate on Dreamliner , squashed on a lot of the others , not helping when people in front recline there seats ,on short haul ,and not even sleeping !