American Is Reducing Your Legroom — Find Out How Other Airlines Compare

The last thing any traveler wants is less legroom on their flight. However, American Airlines is reportedly cutting down on the front-to-back space between economy class seats on its upcoming Boeing 737 Max jetliners. Every inch counts when you're trying to stretch out, and these new planes will be cutting out two inches of legroom — from 31 inches to 29 on three rows, and from 31 to 30 on the rest.

The amount of legroom is called a plane's seat pitch — and can vary greatly depending on the airline and on the type of plane you're flying on. Low-fare airlines like Spirit and Frontier typically have lower seat pitches since they are more budget-friendly and basic, but airlines like JetBlue, Virgin, and Southwest boast larger seat pitches (30+ inches of legroom per seat in economy) that passengers love.

United Airlines is expected to follow American in decreasing seat pitch on some of its aircraft. "Fliers will still pay regular economy fares for the 18 seats with two inches less leg room," reported CNN. "Two of those three rows of 29-inch pitch will be in the back of the plane and a third farther forward. These seats won't be part of its new basic economy fares, which sell for less because fliers don't get access to overhead bins, a seat assignment or frequent flier miles."

So, what's a "normal" or "good" amount of legroom? Read on to see what the seat pitch is for each one of these major US airlines.