Airline seats are shrinking. A
wave of air rage incidents has exposed the problem like a thread bare economy
class seat on an aging puddle jumper.
Actually, the solution is as
simple as developing minimum seat comfort standards and enacting common-sense
government regulation to enforce them.
The average “pitch” — an industry term for the amount of space between airline seats — is somewhere between 30 and 31 inches in economy class today. Returning seat pitch to its pre-deregulation 34 inches would help avoid future seat rage incidents, experts say. Even airlines quietly acknowledge it’s a humane amount of legroom when they refer to premium coach seats with 34 inches of pitch as “comfort” class. Likewise, 18 inches across is about the right size for a seat cushion in coach. Anything less and you’re jostling for armrest space or bumping your knees up against the seat in front of you.
If the seat designers didn’t do their math, then neither did the airlines. Over the years, many carriers have quietly moved the seats closer together, reducing both seat pitch and cushion sizes. Time is running out to find an acceptable solution. As the events of this summer suggest, passengers’ patience is limited. The airlines kept taking and taking, and since most of us can’t get across the country or the ocean any other way, we let them.
That must end. One fix is for a pro-consumer U.S. senator to slip a sentence into the next FAA Re-authorization Bill, asking the Transportation Department to establish minimum seat space standards. FlyersRights.org is also pushing for the FAA to set seat standards.
By the way, that doesn’t necessarily mean airlines will be forced to give up valuable space and the potential revenue that comes with it.
The average “pitch” — an industry term for the amount of space between airline seats — is somewhere between 30 and 31 inches in economy class today. Returning seat pitch to its pre-deregulation 34 inches would help avoid future seat rage incidents, experts say. Even airlines quietly acknowledge it’s a humane amount of legroom when they refer to premium coach seats with 34 inches of pitch as “comfort” class. Likewise, 18 inches across is about the right size for a seat cushion in coach. Anything less and you’re jostling for armrest space or bumping your knees up against the seat in front of you.
If the seat designers didn’t do their math, then neither did the airlines. Over the years, many carriers have quietly moved the seats closer together, reducing both seat pitch and cushion sizes. Time is running out to find an acceptable solution. As the events of this summer suggest, passengers’ patience is limited. The airlines kept taking and taking, and since most of us can’t get across the country or the ocean any other way, we let them.
That must end. One fix is for a pro-consumer U.S. senator to slip a sentence into the next FAA Re-authorization Bill, asking the Transportation Department to establish minimum seat space standards. FlyersRights.org is also pushing for the FAA to set seat standards.
By the way, that doesn’t necessarily mean airlines will be forced to give up valuable space and the potential revenue that comes with it.
Passengers can show their support for seat standards by posting their comments and opinions directly with the FAA at the following web address:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=FAA-2014-0663
Passengers are not powerless to stop the trend to smaller seats and overcrowded airplanes. They can insist the FAA act now to set standards, and they can have a say in what those standards will be. Passenger pressure forced the FAA to set more reasonable rules on Portable Electronic Devices, and can be just as effective in making seats more comfortable.