Travel question: Can we book extra legroom for our long-haul flights?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Bangkok: make the most of your stopover to alleviate discomfort (Getty)

Q My wife and I are due to travel to Australia via Bangkok on Thai Airways in August. This is a holiday of a lifetime as we are both celebrating our 60th birthdays. My wife has a bad back and I am 6ft 3in. I would have been happy to pay extra for premium economy seats, but there is no premium economy on Thai and business class is prohibitive. They do have free extra-legroom seats. These are allocated at check-in. We really are unable to get to the airport at least four hours before departure in the hope of achieving this. Do you have any suggestions?

Steven L

A On the long haul to Australia, the issue of comfort is a tricky one. On other airlines, such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, premium economy is readily available for flights to Australia. (I particularly like the look of Cathay’s, which appears more luxurious than its business class was on the one occasion I sampled it, in 1988.)