I don't think the airlines are bothered if you fit in their seat or not once they have your money. They will expect you to squeeze in. Over the years I have flown with loads of airlines who have cramped seating and have often been sitting next to very tall people who have either had aisle seats so their legs can go in the aisle or have to sit with their legs apart and encroaching into the space of the seats next to them. On one flight to India the FA allowed a young man to sit in one of the staff seats to eat his meal because of lack of space. He spent a lot of time walking round the plane.

Get to the airport early and check in as soon as possible. Ask for the row of seats with the emergency exits in them as these are the main escape routes and effectively have a row of seats missing in front of them so you have masses of room. The rest of the Onur Air seats are pretty cramped I found.

Onur Air aircrafts have about the same (probably a little bit more) than other carriers. We always check-in early and ask for Exit Seats. We have always managed to get them.

I have every sympathy BigG and have always thought the airlines should be forced to do something about the dreadful lack of legroom on holiday flights.

I'm 6'1" and have a hard time in the cramped conditions - goodness only knows what it's like at your height.

I don't have the option of keeping my feet forward to stop my knees hitting the seat in front because that cuts off the blood supply when my seat digs into the back of my legs. I have had veins removed in both legs so my circulation is compromised already. I have to sit with my legs straight out (to the knee) then straight down to the floor to avoid the pressure behind my knee.

This I can just about cope with until the person in front decides to recline their seat. That causes me all sorts of extra difficulties so I always ask them not to. Mostly people are OK about that, it's not as though we're talking long haul here, but occasionally I am met with uncooperative people so I always share my pain with them. They get my knee right in the middle of their back and I find kicking their seat helps my circulation no end. Sometimes leaning forward and breathing down their neck helps as well. Sometimes I just have to pass the time by tapping my sudoko pencil on the back of their headrest.

It beats me why the airlines cannot have a simple, one control locking mechanism to stop seats reclining on short haul flights. If seats had never reclined people would just have accepted that.

We try every holiday to book, and pay for, extra leg room to stop the flight being such a misery but it seems to tax the system too much for this one simple thing. Getting it booked for the return flight is even harder. We get to the airport at least three hours early in the vague hope that we might be able to do it at check in but that is often fruitless.

Perhaps holiday makers should start demanding more leg room and insisting that the days of "cattle class" be brought to an end.

Do you know if there is any sort of league table which shows the respective legroom offered by each operator?

http://www.seatguru.com is pretty good but unfortunately it mostly it covers scheduled airlines

Thank you Judith