Airline seat standards are coming
Bill will require FAA to set rules for leg room, seat size
If you’ve asked yourself, “How much smaller can these airline seats get?,” there’s good news for you: Not much.
The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill working its way through Congress requires the agency to set minimum seat width and pitch standards within a year. Separately, the Department of Transportation Inspector General has begun an audit to determine whether evacuations in today’s more cramped airline cabins can still meet the 90-second standard for deplaning passengers in an emergency. And, despite the government’s recent reluctance to regulate this issue, it seems we’re on course for the government to set a seat standard of some kind.
But let’s take a moment to consider what would happen if officials declared, “Enough is enough. These seats can’t get any smaller.”
It’s high time. A new study by airline consulting firm ICF recently showed passengers are losing personal space on many aircraft at a troubling rate. In the U.S. domestic fleet, the average number of seats per aircraft has increased by nearly 8 percent over the past 15 years. The average Airbus A321 has gained 19 seats in that period, rising from 169 to 188 seats. The average Boeing 737-8 has another 13 seats squeezed on board during that time, going from 152 to 165 seats.
“The seat situation is unbearably uncomfortable,” says Steven Marinoff, a retired public school administrator from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and a frequent air traveler. “You shouldn’t have to pay a premium to have a comfortable experience.”
Pat Vosburgh is 5’11” and says she’s no fan of government regulations that interfere with business. But on this issue, she’s also willing to make an exception.
“Seats have gotten narrower and legroom shorter,” says Vosburgh, a real estate agent from St. Petersburg, Florida. “The airlines are looking for ways to put more people in planes, but at the sacrifice of comfort.”
Minimum seat standards might also improve passenger wellness. “The argument about health is more prominent on long-haul flights,” says aviation educator and author Triant Flouris. With a greater mandated legroom and more space to move, passengers are less likely to develop a blood clot.
But the main benefit of more space would be psychological. Not feeling as if you’re trapped in a claustrophobic aluminum tube with nowhere to go may cut down the number of air rage incidents.
On the other hand, seat comfort could decrease a little. “If airlines can’t reduce space, padding and comfort will be the first to go,” predicts Zander Futernick, founder of ZED Aerospace. He says low-cost carriers have “completed their race to the bottom” by cutting legroom. Now they’re removing padding and other standard seat features, such as tray tables. The legacy carriers will probably do the same if seat standards happen.
Prices could climb, too. Of course, critics of regulation always say that new rules will make prices go up, but with no way to add new seats to the aircraft, the only way to increase revenue would be to raise fares.