Budget airlines are packing more passengers into planes than ever, making every flight feel cramped.
But there’s good news, as a new type of economy seat is coming, and it promises more room for your legs without reducing the number of seats on the aircraft.
From 2028, hundreds of new easyJet planes will be fitted with the all-new Kestrel seat, designed by British manufacturer Mirus Aircraft Seating.
These seats will offer passengers an additional two inches of knee and shin space -providing more room than most low-cost competitors.
The design reshapes the backrest to let passengers’ hips and spine tuck further back, freeing up extra room for their knees and legs.
By using carbon fibre instead of standard moulded plastic used on most airlines, these seats are significantly thinner, gifting the passenger behind those crucial extra inches of space.
According to Mirus, a ‘fixed recline’ of 22 degrees automatically guides passengers into the most efficient position, removing the ability to manually recline and potentially inconveniencing the person behind them.
A standard easyJet seat typically provides between 28 and 29 inches of room, so anyone who is six foot or taller will be squashed up to the seat in front with their knees.
From 2028, select easyJet aircraft will be fitted with the all-new Kestrel seat, which provides up to two inches of knee and shin space without the need to recline
Meanwhile, most long-haul flights offer a generous 31 to 34 inches of space.
Kenton Jarvis, easyJet’s CEO, said: ‘We’ve always had very comfortable leg room in easyJet.
‘This product is exceptionally comfortable, exceptionally light and allows a configuration that creates more space for the customer in the cabin.’
The seats will not be introduced on easyJet’s existing 350-plane fleet due to the high costs of replacing ‘perfectly good’ seating, and will instead be fitted on Airbus A320neo and A321neo planes from 2028.
David Morgan, chief operating officer at easyJet, added: ‘We are delighted to be introducing the Mirus Kestrel seat across our future fleet.
‘On top of the sustainability benefits, the additional legroom and enhanced comfort these seats will provide will also deliver an improved onboard experience for our customers which we know they’ll love.’
EasyJet’s longest flight is a six-hour, 2,400 mile journey between London Gatwick and Sal, one of Cape Verde’s 10 islands on the west coast of Africa.
The flight is carried out by the same planes that fly short-haul – meaning passengers are without in-flight entertainment, WiFi or even power sockets during these six hours. And they have these non-reclining seats.
The Daily Mail’s Genie Harrison flew the journey and revealed everything she took onboard to keep herself entertained and comfortable at 30,000 feet.
