Seat Legroom Help Please

[Mr C Hinecap]

I normally lurk elsewhere on PPRuNe but my exasperation leads me to bother you all here:

I'm tall - taller than the average bear - 6'7" or about 203cm. I'm not a wide load - just tall. I've travelled with a plethora of airlines over the last few years and, without fail, it has been left to the long-suffering and generally wonderful cabin crew to resolve my seating issue.
I don't fit in the standard pitch seats - 33" is just an insult to my thigh bones! My legs don't fit in the gap. Those on the other end of the phone at airlines try to placate me or tell me I need to pay massive sums extra to pay for an emergency exit seat - then book me an aisle seat (where I can stretch out?!?)

What do I need (doctors note, certificate, first born child) to get a seat with leg room? The sick and infirm and short people better off than me seem to be able to do it - but it isn't a 'like' with me - it really is a need. What does the airline industry recognise?

Please help this long-suffering, tall, grateful-for-cabin-crew-assistance every time pax.

[CornishFlyer]

Just a quick question, are we talking UK carriers, US, Middle East or a bit of all? Which carriers are you referring to?

[boardingpass]

in most countries, no document will help you. You'll have to present yourself to the nice cabin crew as soon as possible and they'll do their best to accommodate you. Although nice check-in staff *might* be able to upgrade you too depending on the airline. In Canada, now that oversize pax (wide, not so much tall) can have two seats for the price of one, you might get some luck there, but it needed a court to decide this. Where are you? Which airlines are we talking about here?

[big.al]

Can only suggest checking Airline Seating Charts, Best Airplane Seats - SeatGuru (http://www.seatguru.com) first to check the seat pitch and configuration of airlines to compare who will best suit your lofty stature before booking (this doesn't cover all airlines, particularly not charter ones).

Booking early enough it might be possible to select your own seat. In June we travelled LHR-BKK with Thai and because we had booked early I requested (and was granted) 69 J & K so we got a row of two seats rather than three. This was primarily because we wanted to avoid climbing over another passenger to get into the aisle but the bonus was I got extra legroom, where there was a gap between the seats in front and the window. All because I looked for the best seats on Seatguru first.

Some airlines not listed on Seatguru will have their own seating plans online (eg. Thomas Cook, with whom I've reserved MAN-CUN seats on the A330, again with just two seats in the row instead of three).

Good luck.

[Load Toad]

You can't get a seat with leg room if there is no seat with leg room to have. Which is a great shame.

Let the airline know when you book the flight, check-in (try checking in online early so you can choose yr seat) and speak nicely t' th' cabin crew when you get on.

But every frequent flyer is trying to get the comfiest seat and we all try to think of some angle so that we can get it.

[Final 3 Greens]

Have you looked for decent deals on premium economy?

Not free, but for a relatively modest fee, you get 6-7" extra legroom.

[grimmrad]

I emphasize, I am a bit smaller than you but still quit tall - and how often do I see the little nice lady or young girl of 1.5m sitting at the emergencey exit while I am stuck in the normal seats. Business or Economy Plus (other names on different airlines) come to mind and are really nice if you either have the miles or the money... Otherwise - be early, nice, explain - that got me several times the emergency exit.