Now that I have begun traveling again, I am painfully reminded what our air carriers have done to destroy the pleasures of travel. One of the biggest issues- squeezing more seats into every plane, leaving us with little room- seat wise and leg-wise.
The average seat pitch (distance between the back of one seat and the back of the next) has been decreased to 31 inches from 35. (OK. Spirit Airlines actually has cut the pitch to 28 inches!) This despite the fact that our waist sizes have grown by more than 2 inches and we way more than 15 pounds since those changes were instituted.
Plus, more of us (me, me, me) have disabilities that require accommodation, and we tend to employ multiple electronic devices as we travel. (Not to mention that more carry-on luggage is being used, since most airlines charge for checked bags.)
But, finally (thank you, Biden Administration), there is some federal action about this issue We are now in the public comment session regarding minimum standards for airline seat width and legroom The deadline for submission to the federal government is 1 November 2022.. (Note: This was NOT done in a vacuum. Congress authorized the FAA to investigate seat standards in its 2018 financing bill.)
The Department of Transportation has no such standards now. Its only requirement is that planes can be evacuated within 90 seconds. (This standard was imposed some 30 years ago.) The airlines claim that teeny seats with no legroom have no effect on passenger egress from the airplane during an emergency. That may be true- but is not really relevant. (Thankfully, flight attendants have been calling for seat standards! They are fed up dealing with irate passengers squished into teeny spaces.)
The trade-off may be that airlines will raise their prices- or certainly increase baggage check fees to cover the lost revenue since they can’t cram additional passengers. squishing them tighter and tighter into each plane.
Let’s hope we, the passengers, win this battle. That means we must comment, folks!
I haven’t been a passenger on an airplane for years, but if I ever hope to get off the North American continent, I will be once again. The air flying public has to speak up on this, as you point out.
You bet, Alana. Even if you aren’t flying now, you should send in a comment.