Senate bid to set airline seat sizes fails

Amendment seeking to block further shrinkage falls short.

The Senate refused Thursday to come to the aid of airline passengers squeezed by the evershrinking size of their seats.

An amendment by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) would have blocked airlines from further reducing the “size, width, padding, and pitch” of seats, passengers’ legroom and the width of aisles. “It costs you an arm and a leg just to have room for your arms and legs,” Schumer said.

The amendment also would have required the Federal Aviation Administration to set standards for the minimum amount of space airlines must provide passengers for their “safety, health and comfort.” Airlines would have had to post the size of their seats on their websites so people could take that into account when buying tickets.

The proposal failed on a vote of 42 to 54, with all but three Democrats in favor and all but one Republican against.

Economy-class airline seats have shrunk in recent years on average from a width of 18 inches to a width of 16.5 inches. The average pitch — the space between a point on one seat and the same on the seat in front of it — has gone from 35 inches to about 31 inches. Many airlines are charging extra for legroom amounts that used to come standard.

No senators spoke against the proposal, but airlines opposed to the measure have accused lawmakers of trying to “re-regulate” an industry that has been deregulated since 1978.

The Senate is considering a bill to renew FAA programs through Oct. 1, 2017; without action, they would expire July 15. The bill also contains aviation policy provisions that lawmakers have been working on for more than four years, including greater access for drones to the national airspace and protections for airline passengers chafing at fees for basic services such as checked bags and ticket changes.

Also Thursday, the Senate overwhelmingly approved amendments seeking to boost security at transportation hubs. Those amendments would:

Authorize an increase to 60 from 30 in the number of government “viper teams” that stop and search suspicious passengers in public areas before screening, often using bomb-sniffing dogs.

Make more federal grants available to train law enforcement officers in how to prepare for and respond to active shootings at transportation hubs and other “soft targets.”

Require the Transportation Security Administration to use private companies to market and enroll more people in its PreCheck program while ensuring PreCheck screening lanes are open during high-volume travel times.

Enhance the vetting of airport employees who have access to secure areas. The amendment also would expand the use of random and physical inspections of airport employees in secure areas and require a review of perimeter security.

Authorize the TSA to donate unneeded security equipment to foreign airports with direct flights to the U.S., permit increased cooperation between U.S. officials and partner nations to protect routes flown by Americans, and require a new assessment of foreign cargo security programs.