The airlines with the best economy class seats are mostly found in East Asia with the region's top mainline carriers.

My trip to East Africa involved a 13-hour Ethiopian Airlines flight and a 16-hour Qatar Airways ride. For both of these long-haul flights in economy, I sat in window seats at the back of the plane.

Qatar Airways has high quality but exclusive lounges, while those of Emirates and Etihad are generally more accessible.

At the grand height of 5ft 3, I've never struggled for legroom on a flight. But I can appreciate that airlines don't always ...