‘A vote against safety and health of airline passengers’
An attempt to impose a minimum seat size on airlines has been defeated in the US.
Congressman Steve Cohen wanted the US Federal Aviation Administration to examine the size of seats from a safety point of view and, if necessary, impose a minimum size for the industry.
However, the US House voted 26-33 against the move, which was opposed by the Washington powerful lobby group Airlines of America.
Cohen described it as ‘a vote against the safety and health of airline passengers’.
He said the 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 avaition 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 said he will continue his campaign, but global flight comparison website Cheapflights warned that larger seats could mean 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. It’s almost inevitable that the airlines will seek to offset that by increasing the cost per seat," 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 aeroplane 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 travellers, 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."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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