Have you ever spent several hours in an airport lounge trying to get some feeling back in your legs after a long flight? Then you know the joy of flying when you're tall.
With competition at an all time high, the airlines are attempting to cut costs by squeezing as many seats as possible into each plane and most of that extra seating comes at the expense of legroom. And the problem will likely get worse, not better.

The best solution is not to fly at all, or to fly first class. But if you're like most people, those are not viable options. So your only hope is to find the most comfortable seats available on the flight the boss says you "have to be on" and make the best of it.

So which seats are the best? It's not easy to say. Most people don't know that when an airline purchases a plane, it has no seats at all. Seats are simply bolted in later in a pattern that suits the airline. They can even be easily unbolted and rearranged to make more seating, or less, or removed entirely to convert the plane to cargo use. UPS has even started a program that converts cargo planes to passenger use on weekends, and back to cargo again on Monday.

This means that the same seat on the same flight in the same plane might have less legroom a week from now than it does today. To make it all the more complicated, connecting flights often have different types of airplane, making it harder to know how much legroom you will or won't have.

So it's of little use for me to list the best seats on each flight, since the airline may simply change the plane or the layout and the information would be worthless. A plane can be called out of service at any time, even minutes before a flight, and even the Internet can't keep up with that.

A word about Seat Pitch -

Airlines do however use a general guideline when installing seats called ‘Seat Pitch’. This is the measurement from any point on the seat to the identical point on the next seat, say from the end of the armrest to the end of the next armrest. Economy classes usually range from 31"-34" seat pitch, plus classes from
33"-38" and premium classes from 36"-50" or even 60" in rare cases. You can call the airline and ask what the seat pitch is for the flight you are taking, expect an answer about 75% of the time. You can also visit your library and look up the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, June '95, Seats that punish: How the airlines rate. The article is very good, but the information is getting a bit dated.

Bulkhead seats -

There are general indicators, however. The best seats on almost any flight are the bulkhead seats. Not only do these seats have MUCH better legroom, they have no seat in front that can be reclined directly into your kneecaps. The next best are the exit row seats, which have an aisle in front of them leading to the emergency exit. This in effect makes for much more legroom. Remember that seat pitch applies to standard seats on each flight, and does not apply to exit row or bulkhead seats.

Needless to say, bulkhead seats are very much in demand. Even the shortest guy wants to stretch his legs out like an executive. And in most cases, neither you nor your travel agent can reserve them. The reasons are simple - the airlines need to hold the bulkhead seats as long as possible for handicapped and disabled people. Even a 7 footer is not as in need of those seats as a person in a wheelchair. Also, it would be very easy for a 5'-6" guy to call and say he was 6'-10", just to get the better seat. And you know they would.

The remaining bulkhead seats usually go to "preferred" flyers, those privileged few with millions of frequent flyer miles, or a relative in the business.

But the airlines are not entirely insensitive to your problem. Many consider size to be a "borderline disability" after more serious conditions, but before the general public. The trick is to show up at the airport at least an hour before the flight. By this time any last minute plane changes have been made, and they know if any handicapped people are on the flight. If they SEE that you really need the space, they may give you whatever bulkhead seats remain. The chances that any will be available are slim, however, unless the flight is almost empty.

FAA to the rescue -

Exit row seats are a different story. They aren't under the jurisdiction of the airlines, the FAA controls them. And they usually (but not always) have 3"-12" more legroom than regular seats. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Which oversees all flights that pass through the US has a regulation called Reg 14CFR, Part 121,  which defines precisely who can and cannot occupy an exit row seat, and even the highest airline CEO can't override it. Know this rule, and how to use it, and you can get a decent seat on almost any flight.

The complete regulation is lengthy, but in short it says that no one may occupy an exit row seat unless they meet the following criteria:

• No physical or mental disabilities (glasses are OK)
• must be able to hear, speak and understand English well
• Must be over 15 years of age
• Must be able open the emergency door in an emergency
• Must be willing to act as part of the crew in an emergency

Now this doesn't seem too difficult until you realize that the emergency doors weigh up to 53 lb., are about 24"x 39" and are NOT on hinges. The person opening the door has to pull the door IN, and lift it OVER the seatbacks into the seats behind. This takes long arms and some muscle. Sound like someone you know?

The great thing about 14CFR is that it rules out handicapped people, fat people, people with connections and everybody else who would ordinarily be competing with you for more room. (if you're tall and have a disability, sorry - this won't work)  What this means is that the airlines are looking for large, healthy, strong people who speak English well to occupy those seats, or the seats go empty. And there's  nothing an airline likes less than empty seats. So what I suggest you do is to arrive at least an hour before the flight, stand up straight and tall and volunteer to take one of those seats off their hands. Remember, you're doing them a favor. Point out your strong, long limbs, excellent grasp of the English language, and willingness to help out in the one-in-a-billion chance that the plane needs to be evacuated. Print out a copy of Reg 14CFR, part 121 and bring it with you to show you are thoroughly familiar with the requirements and more than happy to comply. Some flights have only 6 exit row seats, some as many as 24, but the earlier you get to the ticket counter and claim yours the better your chances that someone else won't get there first.

One added bonus to exit row seating is that because you will be person responsible for deploying and testing the escape slide, you will also be one of the first out of the plane in the event of an emergency. Exit row seats have excellent survivability in a crash or fire. The one real problem with exit row seats is that you can't reserve them on most airlines, because they want to see you to be sure you really are the big, strapping fellow (or lady) you say you are. You'll have to reserve an aisle seat and hope to change to a exit row seat at the ticket counter. One trick, however, is to have your travel agent mark your height on your itinerary under special needs. If the airline knows you're coming, they may plan ahead and keep a good seat open. Another good trick is - once you have shown your compliance with 14CFR, to ask the ticket agent if they can book you on exit row seats for your entire trip, including connections and return flights. If all your flights are on one airline, or related airlines, they should be able to do this. Once that is done, your whole trip will be easy.

Some airlines are better about size issues than others. The following are known for being accommodating to people with size problems:

 American Airlines/American Eagle
 Continental
 Delta
 Markair
 Midwest Express
 Northwest Airlines
 Polynesian Airlines
 Reno Air
 United
 Swissair
 Icelandair
 USAir

The following are NOT known for being accommodating to people with size problems:

SouthWest Airlines
British Airways
Aeroflot
Extreme-Discount Airlines and charter carriers
Virgin Atlantic*
It should also be noted that Virgin's new "entertainment system" makes for a very narrow seat in all but first class.

NOTE - if you DO manage to get a bulkhead or exit row seat, stick to the center and aisle seats. The window seats often have the door bulging in front, reducing legroom, or the fuselage curves down, reducing headroom. The DC-9 and Fokker 100 are especially bad for this. 727's, 747's and DC-10's are usually OK.

If you can't get a bulkhead seat, try for an aisle seat, or a seat behind an empty seat. If no one's in front of you, no one will recline their seat into your knees. Professional basketball players have been known to buy the seat ahead of them just for this reason.

It helps if you can fly in the middle of the week, or at off-peak times. Airlines are much more accommodating if they aren't pushed for space. Try to understand that they have a job to do. If you make it easy for them to help you by planning ahead, everyone has a better time of it. Business Classes- Most of the "business classes" also know as "executive class" or "comfort class" on TWA, do have more leg room than coach. But only enough to accommodate someone 6'-3" or so. If you're 6'-6", the extra room may be a moot point.

If you can't get a good seat -

Sometimes no matter what you do, you won't be able to get a good seat. It happens. There are a few important things to remember here: Let the flight attendant know (nicely!) that you are uncomfortable. They may be able to help. If possible, get an aisle seat, and stretch your legs frequently. Be careful not to trip anyone, and be mindful of the service carts.  Don't carry anything in your lap, like a computer, which can cut off circulation. Get up and walk the length of the plane at least once every half hour, to improve circulation. The reason for this is more than comfort, if you don't move frequently the blood can pool in parts of your legs and form clots, which can later travel to your heart and lungs with serious consequences. This is called Economy Class Syndrome.

For more information check out David Hile's page on Transatlantic Legroom, "Flying Tall" another page on talls and airlines and the Air Transport Association's (ATA) report on the economics of seat spacing