USA: Senator Fights Constant Shrinkage Of Airline Seats

The call for the government to establish size standards for airline seats isn’t going away.

The latest comes from Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who wants the Federal Aviation Administration to institute standards for commercial airlines. Passengers increasingly have to sit on planes "like sardines,” Schumer says in an interview with The Associated Press.

Schumer’s move comes only about two weeks after another effort was introduced in the House of Representatives. There, Reps. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., and Janice Hahn, D-Calif., attempted to add their own seat-size provision to legislation governing the Federal Aviation Administration in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“There will be a crash and there will be people who will not be able to get out of an airplane,” Cohen said before the measure was rejected in a committee vote.

Now Schumer appears ready to pick up where Cohen and Hahn left off.

"One of the most vexing things when you travel on an airplane is there's almost no legroom on your standard flight," Schumer said on Sunday. "There's been constant shrinkage by the airlines."

He revealed his own plans to add an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill, which is now pending before Congress. Schumer’s amendment -- which faces uncertain odds -- would require the FAA to institute seat-size guidelines.

Echoing arguments advanced by Cohen, Schumer said “seat pitch” – a standard industry measure of the distance between seats – has dropped from 35 inches in the 1970s to about 31 today. Similarly, he said seat width has narrowed from about 18.5 inches to about 16.5 inches.

Schumer believes airlines will keep whittling away at those figures unless the FAA steps in.

"They're like sardines," Schumer is quoted by AP as saying about today’s fliers. "It's no secret that airlines are looking for more ways to cut costs, but they shouldn't be cutting inches of legroom and seat width in the process ... It's time for the FAA to step up and stop this deep-seated problem from continuing."

Currently, the FAA mandates how quickly passengers must be able to evacuate a plane in an emergency, but there are no overarching rules governing seat sizes throughout the cabin.

Schumer even took aim at fees that many carriers now charge to reserve their roomiest coach-class seats.

"It's just plain unfair that a person gets charged for extra inches that were once standard," Schumer said.

The nation’s biggest airline industry trade group pushed back against Schumer’s call.

Airlines for America, which represents most big U.S. carriers, told AP the government should set safety standards but should act cautiously about imposing other regulations.

"We believe the government should not regulate, but instead market forces, which reflect consumer decisions and competition should determine what is offered," spokeswoman Jean Medina said to AP. "As with any commercial product or service, customers vote every day with their wallet."