Senate kills Schumer’s proposal for airline seats

Amendment would have let FAA halt reductions

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate last week rejected an amendment to block airlines from further shrinking passenger seats and require them to post seat sizes on their websites as lawmakers took up their much-anticipated Federal Aviation Administration bill.

“Flying is not pleasant anymore. You are crammed in,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the amendment’s sponsor.

In the past few decades, passengers have lost half a foot of space as the size of airline seats and the distance between them have continued to shrink, Schumer said.

“This is a place where the public is clamoring for change,” he said, noting the fewer number of airlines and less competition.

Under Schumer’s proposed amendment, the FAA would have been required to establish a moratorium on further reductions on seat sizes and, in consultation with experts, set a minimum standard seat size and pitch for commercial flights.

Airlines would be required to post their seat dimensions on their websites, a move Schumer said would provide a commercial incentive for them to offer more comfortable seating.

A4A, a trade group for airlines, expressed opposition to Schumer’s proposal, describing it as a step back toward reregulation of the industry, which was unregulated decades ago, and a move that would make flying less affordable for consumers.

“We continue to believe the government’s role in seat sizes for all forms of transportation (car, bus, rail and air) is to determine what is safe. The FAA has made that determination,” A4A spokesman Vaughn Jennings said in a written statement.

Jennings said the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection did not make a recommendation on seat sizes.

“We also believe that the government should not regulate, but instead market forces, which reflect consumer decisions, and competition should determine what is offered,” he said.

On seat pitches, Jennings provided information showing comparison of those used today to those used 20 years ago is nearly impossible because of the different materials and seat formations.

“What we know with certainty is that customers can buy seats with 35 inches of legroom at a cost well below what it cost 20 years ago,” Jennings said.

Schumer’s amendment failed in a 42-54 vote.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted for the amendment while Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., voted against it.

Senators are expected to continue work on the FAA bill in the coming week.

The House was not in session last week.

TED S. WARREN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Economy class seating is shown in January on a new United Airlines Boeing 787-9 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Senate refused Thursday to come to the aid of airline passengers squeezed by the ever-shrinking size of their seats.