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Congressman loses fight to stop shrinking plane seats
Wednesday, 12 Feb, 2016
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Congressman Steve Cohen’s attempt to impose a minimum seat size on airlines has been defeated.
He wanted the US Federal Aviation Administration to examine plane seat sizes from a safety point of view and, if necessary, impose a minimum size for the industry.
However, the House Committee voted 26-33 against the SEAT bill, which was opposed by airline trade group Airlines of America.
Cohen called it ‘a vote against the safety and health of airline passengers.
‘.
He said average seat width on US aircraft has shrunk from 18 inches in the 1970s to 16.5 inches today. The average seat pitch is less than 29 inches, down from 31 inches before the aviation industry was deregulated.
Cohen said that, in general, airline seats are hard to get out of and claimed ‘they keep getting smaller and smaller’.
He has vowed to continue the campaign, but global flight comparison website Cheapflights warned that larger seats would inevitably result in higher airfares.
"Any legislation that increases the seat pitch will decrease the number of seats on the plane, thus reducing the average revenue yield per flight," said Cheapflights’ Phil Bloomfield.
He said aircraft operating within the EU must have a minimum seat pitch of 26 inches to meet safety standards. He pointed out the average was 31 inches.
"In the US there are currently no regulations on plane seat sizes but none of the major airlines have pitches smaller than the 26 inches European minimum".
This suggests that Cohen’s plea is more about passenger comfort than fears over safety.
"Comfort is hugely important for travelers, particularly when flying long-haul, but so is price. If Cohen’s SEAT act was to get through and airlines were forced to increase their seat pitches, potentially by as much as four inches to the pre-deregulatory size of 35 inches, a hike in fares would inevitably follow."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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