I’ve made the decision that, in addition to my normal two times a week diving into the intricacies of points, miles, and how to earn them, I’m going to add a short 3rd post on Saturday where I go over tips and tricks for making the travel experience better. I’m having so much fun with this that I want to continue on with it even more posts. Sometimes, I’ll also highlight travel gear that I use and recommend as well. This is the first post below.
For anyone that flies regularly, we all know that seat space is at a premium on a plane, particularly when storing your bag. The average seat pitch (the distance between any point on your seat and the same point on the seat in front of you) for most US airlines is approximately 30 inches, with Southwest offering 31 inches, and ultra low-cost carriers offering seat pitch of 28-29 inches. Ouch!
When I travel, for most things 5 days or less, I typically travel with a rollaboard and my backpack, which was a great present from my wife. I always put my rollaboard in the overhead bin, while my backpack will be put in different places based upon where I’m sitting. If I’m sitting in the aisle, I’ll typically put my backpack in the overhead bin. However, if I’m in the window seat (which is my favorite seat), I’ll put it under the seat in front of me.
The problem when I sit in the window seat: I’m 6’3″. I’m a tall guy with a shorter torso and really long legs. These seats are tiny! When I have a backpack under the seat in front of me, I basically have zero room to move my legs around. Ouch!
I did this for years. I didn’t like it, but I got to look out the window, so I put up with it.
However, last year, I figured something out: while during taxi, takeoff, and landing, you must have your bag under the seat in front of you. Given my long legs, once we’re in the air, I’ll pull my bag out and place it under my legs. Instead of my backpack lying flat on the floor, I’m able to sit it up so that I can easily reach into it. It’s not taller than than seat I’m sitting in, so this gives me a lot more leg room.
Now, I don’t infringe on the baggage space of the person sitting behind me (that wouldn’t be fair, nor would it work if everyone did that!). However, it does allow me to have a lot more room, given that I no longer have a bag under the seat in front of me. Instead, it’s where my feet would normally be when I’m all scrunched up, particularly as a tall guy.
Conclusion
Maybe I’m just dumb for not thinking about it all these years of flying. Hopefully, you’ll be able to use this to get yourself a bit of extra leg room when you’re flying, particularly if you’re tall.
Do you plan on using this technique in the future? What do you think of earning that extra legroom?
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