Surprising hack can give you extra legroom on major UK airlines for free

There's a nifty little hack you can use to get slightly more legroom on a Ryanair flight, and while it's not much, that extra bit of wiggle room could be all the difference when it comes to comfort.

I know what you're thinking: this is Ryanair, you don't get anything extra for free - but it's all to do with the design of the plane.

According to some research from consumer group Which?, you could get a smidgen more legroom if you sit on the right-hand side of the plane.

At best, you're only going to get close to an inch more legroom, but it's better than nothing.

The reason for this is that on planes like 737s, which Ryanair planes are likely to be, the design is asymmetrical.

A team of researchers found that on a 737, the DEF seats on the right side of the plane in rows three through 15 gave you slightly more legroom.

The seats on the right of a 737 have about half an inch more legroom. But since this picture was taken facing the seats they're actually the ones you see on the left. (Manuel Romano/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

They recommend that before you decide to take to the skies, you should check out your plane's interior map on a site like AeroLOPA, which lets you check out all the planes that various airlines use and what they look like on the inside, so you can see exactly where the best seats are.

Also, it's just quite fun to look through, a bit like when you go down the rabbit hole on Rightmove and realise you've spent a whole afternoon looking at bungalows in Peterborough.

Checking out this website will verify that, if you're flying on a 737-Max, then the A and F seats in row 29 have a glorious amount of space in front of you for your reclining pleasure.

Of course, we already told you this, but it's worth double checking the stuff you read on the internet.

There's not much legroom on planes, and even less if you're vertically blessed. (Getty Stock Photo)

As nice as it'd be to discover you've accidentally bought the best seat on the plane, the airlines know their value well, and you'll probably need to fork over a little extra cash if you want to stretch your legs while flying.

And if you're of a mind to moan about the lack of legroom on a Ryanair flight, then be prepared for their Twitter admin to go for you.

You're likely to be inundated with people telling you to 'pay more', while Ryanair's official socials will roast your choice of legwear.

So, remember, if you want a little bit more legroom, then try to book tickets on the right hand side of the plane, and if you want a lot more legroom, then check out a plan of the interior and be prepared to pay a bit more to stretch out.