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APassengers who are tired of being left with less legroom could be given a boost later this month with US lawmakers to adopt a minimum seat size.
As part of a Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) funding bill, which oversees air travel to the United States, the US House of Representatives has added a condition to address concerns over "seats". always smaller.
Over the last two decades, the gap between aircraft seats – known as the seat – has been reduced from the industry standard of 34 inches to, in some cases, less than 29. The average seat width has been reduced from 19 inches to 17.
"Relief may soon be in place for tired air passengers facing increasingly smaller seats," said Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida.
Congress must meet the 30 September deadline for FAA services to continue to function. The US Senate must therefore adopt the new bill this week, otherwise both chambers will have to extend the existing legislation in the short term.
While any new FAA regulations would only apply to US airlines, it is possible that this decision will encourage European authorities to do the same. The minimum size may not be established.
The bill also prevents airlines from "hitting" passengers who have already boarded (as was the case with David Dao last year), strengthening penalties for unruly travelers, and shifts.
"We call it a torture class"
The proposal to establish a minimum seat size was passed to the House of Representatives earlier this year as a result of pressure from FlyersRights.org, a US passenger defense group.
"We call this a torture class," said Paul Hudson, president of the organization. "It's been around for 10 or 15 years, the seats are going down as people get older. We think they cut seats to get more passengers on a plane to get more revenue. They are also trying to make the situation so uncomfortable that people will improve and pay much higher rates.
"We know that a large part of the population can not access seats right now: they are too big or too big. There are also more elderly or disabled passengers in one way or another. "
According to FlyersRights.org, reducing seats increases the risk of passengers suffering dangerous blood clots and it is impossible to evacuate a plane in 90 seconds, as required by law.
Until now, however, the FAA has resisted the change, arguing that there is no evidence that the current size of the seats is a factor of evacuation speed.
How much space for the legs has it decreased?
The seat pitch during the so-called "golden age" of the flight was generally from 34 to 36 inches. The Boeing 707, for example, which entered service in 1958 and is widely recognized for introducing the "Jet Age", offered 34 inches. The same goes for the first 747s operated by Pan Am and TWA.
It started to change in the eighties. In 1981, the New York Times reported that manufacturers began, for the first time, to reduce the economic "standard pitch" from 34 to 35 inches to just 32.
Today, 30 or 31 inches is typical for long-haul flights, while most low-cost carriers offer 29 or 30 flights. Some even went to 28. Club 28 members, who offer the greatest legroom:
- Thomas Cook Airlines
- TAP Portugal
- Tui Airways
- Spirit Airlines (US)
- Spring Airlines (China)
- Thai Airways
- Frontier Airlines (US)
- Iberia (Spain)
- LATAM Brazil
Worried, aerospace interior manufacturer Zodiac Aerospace introduced concept cabins with 27 inches of terrain, which is possible thanks to ultra-thin seats. No airline has taken the bait – yet.
The width of the seat has also decreased. In 1985, none of the four major US airlines offered less than 19 inches in width. Now, 17 inches is the norm, and United is as low as 16.
If 29 inches is the sill of the seat, 17 inches seems to be a width marker. The following airlines are members of the under-17 club, offering the widest seat widths on a trip.
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