Airplane Seats Are 'Shrinking': NJ Lawmaker Calls For Size Standards

Are you having problems squeezing into your seat when you fly on a commercial airline? You’re not alone, several lawmakers say.

In an effort to prevent air travelers from being unduly “squeezed,” legislators from several states continue to push against an alleged trend of shrinking airline seats.

On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill that would require the agency to set minimum seat size standards for airplanes.

“The powerful airline industry will stop at nothing for the almighty dollar,” said U.S. Senator Menendez (D-NJ), a cosponsor of the amendment. “Anyone who has flown recently has noticed the seats getting smaller and the legroom getting tighter, and has wondered if they need to go on a diet. The reality is it’s the money-hungry airlines who need to curb their voracious appetite for profit at the expense of the flying public.”

According to a statement from Menendez, the average distance between rows of airline seats has dropped from 35 inches since massive industry deregulation in the 1970s to its current average of 31 inches.

In addition, the average airline seat width has shrunk about 1.5 inches since the 1990s, Menendez claims.

“Currently, there are no federal limits on how close together an airline’s row of seats can be or how wide an airline’s seat must be,” he stated.

The amendment doesn’t mention what the acceptable sizes should be, nor does it specify how the standards would be enforced.

“When talking to travelers, the number one complaint I hear is shrinking legroom and cramped seats,” Schumer asserted in a news release. “Consumers are tired of being packed into airplanes like sardines, and so, it’s time for the FAA to step up and stop this deep-seated problem from continuing.”

“To boot, the airlines are cruising on record profits,” Schumer added.

• See related article: United Airlines Announces Record Profit, Workers Protest Low Wages

Other lawmakers have also joined the cry against shrinking airline seats, such as U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn) and Janice Hahn (D-Calif), and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn).

However, Airlines for America, an industry group that represents several major U.S. carriers, told the Associated Press that the government should set safety standards but 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 told the Associated Press. "As with any commercial product or service, customers vote every day with their wallet."

The debate over seat width is only one faction of an increasing effort to introduce size standards to airlines.

In June of 2015, an airline trade organization inspired a blowback from some lawmakers when it proposed the creation of standard luggage sizes that were smaller than several major airlines’ existing allowances.

• See related article: Smaller Airline Luggage? Airline Trade Group Proposes Change

File photo by Iwan Gabovitch via Flickr Commons