In a sign that the $22 billion dollar projected U.S. Debt, terrorism and other national security threats, and the still-recovering economy have all been handled, a U.S. Senator is taking on the issue of travel comfort.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer says airlines pack passengers in “like sardines,” and he wants to require the Federal Aviation Administration to establish seat-size standards for commercial airlines.
The Democrat says airlines have been gradually reducing legroom and seat width, and, like a skinny-dipping date in early May, “There’s been constant shrinkage by the airlines.”
The original intent of the bill before Congress is to reauthorize funding for the F.A.A., which handles such mundane tasks as making sure planes don’t crash into each other in the sky, establishing and enforcing aviation safety, and investigating what happens when something goes wrong in flight.
Schumer plans to add an amendment to the F.A.A. Reauthorization Bill that would require the agency to set seat-size guidelines. He says the distance between an airline seat and the one in front of it has dropped from 35 inches in the 1970s to closer to 31 inches, and seat width has gone from 18.5 inches to about 16.5 inches. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the obesity rate has more than doubled in the same time frame.
“It’s no secret that airlines are looking for more ways to cut costs,” Schumer says, “But they shouldn’t be cutting inches of legroom and seat width in the process.”
The F.A.A. Reauthorization Bill is considered “must-pass” legislation, and Congress typically addresses the issue every four to six years. The bill is also used as an opportunity to tackle a wide range of aviation issues, including, apparently, the comfort of larger
fliers. A vote is expected in March.
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