Essential reading for tall holiday-makers.

Are brochures still misleading us about airline seat space? Time to check the small print...The Sunday Times Campaign for Fair Flying has shown that long-haul travellers want more legroom — and more information about it when choosing a holiday. More than 7,000 readers have written in support of the demands, and more letters and e-mails arrive with them daily. So what are the tour operators doing about it? Some of Britain’s biggest travel firms have told us privately that they support our campaign, and many have promised to include more details about aircraft seating in their brochures. Even opponents admit that the issue is now out in the open and they can’t hide from it.

With next year’s long-haul brochures now appearing on the shelves, it’s time to put the operators to the test. Are they finally treating us like intelligent consumers capable of making informed decisions about our health and comfort? Here, we sift the winners from the sinners.

 THOMSON FARAWAY SHORES

One of the UK’s “big two” tour operators, Thomson (0870 160 4529, www.thomson.co.uk) is taking some steps to inform passengers about legroom in the air. It says it has done this as a direct result of the Sunday Times' Fair Flying campaign.

“The campaign has helped to raise awareness, and as part of our honest brochure policy, we wanted to respond by giving people clear guidance before they travel with us,” says its communications director Sonia Davies.

The front of its brochure now contains a clear explanation of the legroom offered by different airlines, in which Thomson’s own charter airline, Britannia (with 30in standard seat pitch), compares poorly with the scheduled carriers Air Jamaica (33in), Kenya Airways (32in) and BWIA (32in). The costs and advantages of upgrading to Britannia’s premium class, with 35in pitch, are clearly explained.

So far, so good. But things get confusing when you turn to the small print at the back of the brochure. To its credit, Thomson attempts to define the term “seat pitch” — but unfortunately gets it wrong, confusing it with “passenger space”. This is important — seat pitch is about 2in more than passenger space, which is the distance between knee and buttock.

This distinction is properly explained by the British Air Transport Association on its website. Thomson publishes the address of the BATA site but — oops! — gets that wrong, too. The correct address is www.bata.uk.com/seatpitch.htm.

On deep-vein thrombosis, a short section entitled “Fitness to Fly” advises passengers to consult a doctor or phone Thomson’s own assistance team.

 Verdict: Thomson does strive for transparency. A good effort, but more attention to detail is needed. 6/10

 AIRTOURS FAR & AWAY

As the other key player on the high street, Airtours (0870 900 8639, www.mytravel.com) has also increased flight information in its brochure. But you can’t help but feel it is motivated by the desire to sell more upgrades.

Yes, your options are clearly explained. A seat near the exit with “an extra 4-5in of legroom” costs from £50 to £70 extra; whereas an upgrade to the premium cabin with “extra seat width and legroom” costs from £169 more, depending on the route. However, there is no mention of the standard seat pitch on MyTravel Airways, the in-house airline. It is 29in, one inch less than Britannia’s.

The back of the brochure is steeped in small print and catch-all clauses. For instance: “We reserve the right to substitute alternative carriers and/or aircraft types if necessary.” There is, as far as we could see, no mention of DVT.

 Verdict: no real attempt to address the issues. 3/10

 VIRGIN HOLIDAYS WORLDWIDE

Virgin’s brochure (0870 220 2464, www.virgin.com/holidays) opens with a “personal” message from its boss, Richard Branson, who tells us: “It really is a big world out there. We hope you have as much fun exploring it as we have!” This sets the tone: exuberant throughout, but short on telling detail. No reference is made to seat pitch, or to the fact that Virgin Atlantic’s economy cabins have less legroom than those of most of its scheduled rivals. Readers are told, however, that paying for an upgrade to Premium Economy “gives you acres of extra space” (6-7in, in fact).

Virgin Atlantic doesn’t fly to all the destinations in the brochure, so Virgin Holidays uses a dozen different “partner” airlines. These are described without, unfortunately, any reference to their seat pitch. They look like reprinted puffs written by the PR departments of the airlines themselves. Gulf Air, for instance, is said to be “a comfortable way to start your holiday”. On Emirates, “all seats offer the best in comfort and spacing”.

As far as we could see, DVT doesn’t get a mention.

 Verdict: a triumph of style over content. 2/10

 HAYES & JARVIS WORLDWIDE

At first sight, the Hayes & Jarvis brochure (0870 898 9890, www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk) looks much like any other: lots of exotic destinations and glossy photographs of white beaches and palm trees. But look closer and you’ll see that it is packed with useful information and honest assessments of what holidaymakers can expect.

Nor is this hidden in the small print. As each destination is introduced, the flight options are explained and compared in detail. Before you get to choose a hotel in Barbados, for example, you’re invited to compare British Airways (31in seat pitch) with BWIA from Heathrow on an Airbus A340 (33in), and BWIA from Manchester on a Tristar (32in) — and to decide whether it’s worth upgrading to Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy (38in) at a cost of £159 each way.

The back of the brochure is packed with more information and some honest plain speaking. Readers are told that airlines may describe a flight as direct even if it stops en route, and that check-in staff may define adjacent seats as those across an aisle.

A section about charter flights points out that they “offer tremendous value for money” compared with scheduled flights, but adds: “If you are over 6ft tall, you are likely to find them less comfortable.”

 Verdict: oodles of information and honest appraisals, clearly presented. All brochures should look like this. 9/10

 BRITISH AIRWAYS HOLIDAYS WORLDWIDE

“A long-haul flight in economy class will not be luxurious,” says the small print in this brochure, with laudable candour. “Airlines want their aircraft to be as full as possible.”

It goes on: “It is well worth paying extra to travel in business class or first class and have a much more comfortable flight.” Which is all very well, if you can afford it.

Unsurprisingly, British Airways Holidays (0870 443 4439, www.britishairways.com/holiday/ukhols/ukhols.shtml) uses its brochure to promote its parent airline. BA’s economy class — World Traveller — offers a “more comfortable seat” with a 31in pitch, adjustable lumbar support and footrest. Premium economy — World Traveller Plus — has “larger seats” with a 38in pitch, arranged no more than five in a row. There is little information about other airlines used by the operator, though, so no way of comparing them with BA.

There is detailed flight information, but sometimes it lacks clarity. On the page introducing the Grenadines, readers are told they must change aircraft at Barbados and that the “Barbados flights are operated by British Airways 777 with World Traveller seating in 10 abreast, differing from normal 777 seating of nine abreast”. Translation: seat width is reduced from 18in to 16.5in. Ouch! The small print contains a brief paragraph about DVT, which says the risk is “very low” and advises anyone with worries to consult a doctor.

Verdict: some useful information, but no attempt to compare airlines. 4/10

 KUONI WORLDWIDE

Kuoni (01306 743000, www.kuoni.co.uk) produces a brochure that is packed with practical information — but not much of it is about legroom.

Two pages are filled with gushing descriptions of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Readers are told that both have premium economy cabins with 38in seat pitch, that BA offers 31in in economy and that Virgin is “one of the youngest yet most famous airlines”. The economy seat pitch on Virgin — 30-31in — is not revealed, nor is the meaning of seat pitch.

Kuoni also uses Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and BWIA, yet it offers no details of their cabin services. Thai Airways has an economy seat pitch of 34in, but you wouldn’t discover that here.

There are more crimes of omission: under the Maldives, for example, Kuoni suggests that travellers pay from £249 to upgrade to Monarch’s Premium Cabin. This, it says, has a seat pitch 4in greater than in economy. But it doesn’t state the economy pitch (30in).

The back of the book is a little more candid. “It should be noted that legroom (on charter flights) is slightly less than in economy on some scheduled flights,” it says. And, again urging customers to pay for an upgrade, it admits that: “A long-haul flight is generally not a joyride when flying in economy.” We found no mention of DVT.

 Verdict: insufficient information for consumers to make an informed choice. 5/10

 SOVEREIGN WORLDWIDE

Sovereign (0870 243 0635, www.sovereign.com) has revamped its brochures in recent years, but they could still benefit from more information about flights and airlines. Again, the front section contains a lengthy puff for British Airways that extols the virtues of the 7in extra legroom in World Traveller Plus, but fails to cite the legroom in economy. Other airlines are barely mentioned.

This is particularly vexing because Sovereign is part of the same company as Hayes & Jarvis (both are owned by First Choice). Why can’t Sovereign adopt the same enlightened policies as its sister company? To its credit, Sovereign does include a lengthy section about DVT in the small print at the back of the brochure.

 Verdict: poor, particularly when compared with Hayes & Jarvis. 2/10

 THOMAS COOK HOLIDAYS

Thomas Cook Holidays (0870 443 4441, www.tcholidays.com) and British Airways Holidays are now owned by the same group, so some of their small print is the same and both carry identical puffs for BA. Thomas Cook Holidays does include a little more about other airlines, but glosses over the issue of legroom in economy. The exception is a gushing section on Virgin, which it says has a “seat pitch of up to 32in”. This is misleading. Even the airline admits that most of its economy seats are 31in and a few are 30in. The brochure offers plenty of detail about the airlines it uses, including stopovers and flight times. So why can’t it find room for information on seat pitch?

Verdict: they’re trying, but not hard enough. 5/10

THE SUNDAY TIMES' CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES

Airlines should have a minimum seat pitch of 32in on long-haul economy flights, providing at least 30in of passenger space.