More Legroom on Airplanes: Fair Seating for Tall People - Height should not be an upgrade!

Petition richtet sich an: The management teams and executive boards of the Lufthansa Group, Eurowings, Condor, and TUIfly, as well as those of all other relevant airlines

We call on the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL) and its member airlines to introduce fair and uniform regulations for passengers of particularly tall stature.

People who are, for example, 1.90 meters or taller should be able to receive seats with significantly more legroom—if available on the respective aircraft—without having to pay the usual extra-legroom surcharge.

Anyone with long legs knows the problem: Even in the normal seating position, their knees bump against the seat in front or don’t even fit behind it. If the seat in front is reclined, the already limited space becomes even smaller. It’s nearly impossible to move your legs or adjust your seating position.

We’re not asking for free business class or luxury at the expense of other passengers. We’re simply asking that people no longer have to pay extra just because their legs require more space due to their unchangeable height.

Specifically, this means:

For a seat with the necessary additional legroom, no more than the fee for a standard seat reservation may be charged.
For each flight, an appropriate number of seats with extra legroom should be reserved for particularly tall passengers.
Unused seats can, for example, be sold again at the regular rate 48 hours before departure.
Eligibility should be easily verifiable based on the height listed on the passenger’s ID—without the need for medical certificates or red tape.
Seats at emergency exits may, of course, only be assigned if all safety requirements are met.
Where possible, other seats with greater seat pitch or extra knee room should therefore also be included.
The policy and requirements must be clearly visible during the booking process.

Height Should Not Be a Financial Disadvantage

A person who is two meters tall already pays the same price for a flight ticket as all other passengers. Why should they have to pay extra just so their legs can fit comfortably between two rows of seats?

Of course, we accept that airlines sell comfort services: priority boarding, lounge access, special meals, empty adjacent seats, or particularly exclusive seating can all be premium products.

But a seating position that is physically necessary should not be a premium product.

There is a simple principle behind this: For some, legroom is an added comfort. For very tall people, it is simply a normal space requirement.

Freedom of movement is also relevant to health

On longer trips, a lack of movement is not entirely insignificant. As part of its WRIGHT project, the WHO found that sitting motionless for long periods while traveling can be associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism. In the data analyzed, height was among the factors associated with an increased travel-related risk.

Safety at emergency exits naturally takes precedence

This petition expressly does not call for an exception to safety regulations. Special requirements apply to seats at emergency exits. Passengers seated there must be physically capable, in the event of an emergency, of following the crew’s instructions and assisting with an evacuation.

These rules must remain in full effect. Therefore, the solution should not be limited exclusively to emergency exit seats. Depending on the aircraft, for example, other extra-legroom rows or suitable seats could be included in the regulation.

The solution is also economically feasible

Our request does not mean that airlines have to retrofit their entire fleet.
The seats in question already exist.

One practical solution, for example, would be to reserve a limited number of existing extra-legroom seats for particularly tall passengers up to 48 hours before departure. If these seats are not needed, they are then made available for regular sale again.

It’s a matter of fairness

No one should be penalized for their height.

Tall people don’t pay less for their tickets. However, due to their anatomy, they need more space to be able to enjoy the same flight in a reasonably comparable way.

That is why we appeal to the Lufthansa Group, Eurowings, Condor, TUIfly, and the entire aviation industry:

Don’t turn necessary legroom into a luxury item.

Introduce a fair policy for particularly tall passengers.

Height is not an upgrade.

If you are tall yourself, know someone who faces this problem on nearly every flight, or simply believe that unchangeable physical characteristics should not result in additional fees: Please sign and share this petition.

Sources:

Condor XL Seats
Lufthansa Extra Legroom
Eurowings – Seats with More Legroom
Tall People Blog Post
BDL – Member Airlines
WHO Study
Image for the petition generated by ChatGPT