London, Mar 8 : A new study reached the finding based on two factors: which airlines offered the most space between rows on long-haul flights, and how much (if at all) is charged for extra legroom.

Qatar came out on top in terms of overall value for money, closely followed by Air India, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines, according to the Dily Mail reports

Legroom, which is known in the industry as seat pitch can be defined as the distance between a single point on an aircraft seat and the identical point on the seat in front.

Qatar boasts a pitch of between 31 and 33 inches and doesn't charge extra for passengers wishing to select a seat that offers more, for example an emergency exit seat.

The Skyscanner study also took into account that Turkish Airlines and Air India do charge for extra legroom, £4.97 and £5.73 per centimetre respectively, but comparatively less so than other companies.

Cramped legroom is a grievance for many long-haul fliers.

BEST VALUE AIRLINES FOR LEGROOM

1. Qatar Airways

2. Air India

3. Delta Air Lines

4. Etihad Airways

5. Turkish Airlines

Source: Seatguru

Indeed, the same study found that a third of all travellers cited this as being the thing that most annoys them on a plane, with one in ten angered by being charged to have more.

The survey also revealed that over half of people found it annoying when the person in front of them reclined their seat.

The debate as to whether this is acceptable social conduct or not, however, rages on.

It comes after MailOnline reported that announcement that British Airways is planning to reduce the gap between seats from 30 inches to 29 on some of its planes, less than Ryanair.

The move, which would make BA’s legroom the same as Easyjet’s, will make space for an extra two rows of seats to carry 12 more fliers. Ryanair’s gap is 30 inches.

This will only apply, however, to its short-haul flights.