Not everyone has a First-Class seat kind of budget but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice comfort on your flight.  With some airlines, you can upgrade to roomier accommodations with added perks for just a few dollars more!

Why is seat selection so important?  The flight sets the tone of your vacation.  You don’t want to begin a journey feeling cramped, uncomfortable or even miserable.  Take it from me, I fly with my husband who is 6′ 4".  Our vacation goes so much better when we have an upgraded seat.

Today, I want to address United Airlines, JetBlue, Delta, Frontier and Spirit.  5 of the most popular economy airlines.

• JetBlue and Delta Comfort + have the most legroom with 34" of space!
• Spirit seats have the least with a depressing 28" but if you want to upgrade to the Big Front seats, you can enjoy up to 36".  But don’t get too excited, your Spirit ticket will increase by about $200 roundtrip.  And you can’t tell me you’re flying Spirit for reasons other than the ridiculously low bare-fares.  If you have the extra $200, my suggestion is to upgrade to a better airline.

BEST:  Delta Comfort + – Delta’s Comfort+ class seats offer a 17.2" width, and 34 inches of legroom. Travelers also get the perks of having a dedicated overhead bin, complimentary alcoholic drinks, free movies on seat-back video screens, priority boarding, and a 50% increased incline on international flights. All perks we LOVE!

RUNNER UP: Delta Main Cabin – Delta’s Economy class offers 31 to 32 inches of legroom and seats that are 17.2 inches wide. Complimentary non-alcoholic beverage is provided.

Delta Economy (if you must) – This is Deltas true "bare-fare" rate. Same seats as the Delta Main Cabin seats, but you ARE NOT able to pick your seats; you will be assigned seats at check-in which can be an issue when traveling with loved one.  But this might be a good option for a solo-traveler trying to get the most bang for his/her dollar without having to go to Spirit.  I’ll take an economy seat over an economy airline any day!

American Airlines Main Cabin Extra – American’s Main Cabin Extra seats get you 35 to 37 inches of legroom along with Preferred Boarding and an earlier exit when you land.

America Airlines Economy – American’s Economy class seats get you 31 inches of legroom and has seats that are 17.2 inches wide. 

Spirit Airlines Economy – Spirit’s Economy class has the least amount of legroom, with only 28 inches. The seats have a width of 17.75 inches, however, which is on the wider side. 

Spirit Airlines Big Front – Spirit’s Big Front seats are a huge difference to their Economy class, with 36 inches of legroom and 18.5 inches of width.  The extra comfort comes at quite an upcharge.

Frontier Stretch Seating – Travelers who opt to upgrade to Stretch seating get enjoy in-flight service first, get off the plane first and sit in seats that are laptop friendly and offer more legroom: 33 inches to be exact on all aircraft types.

Frontier Standard Seating – Fleet-wide aisle seats and window seats are 18.1 inches wide and middle seats are 19.3 inches wide (talk about finding an incentive to book middle seats).  Seriously – go for the Stretch.  You will thank me.