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'We call it torture class' – passenger groups battle aviation authorities over shrinking plane seats

You're not imagining it. Plane seats really have shrunk – and legroom is disappearing
You're not imagining it. Plane seats really have shrunk – and legroom is disappearing

The US Senate is under pressure to back legislation which would set a minimum size for airline seats.

Airlines have been relentlessly cutting seat size and pitch as they try to boost their bottom line.

Now FlyersRights.org, the main passenger advocacy group in the US, has said enough is enough, warning that the trend is posing a health and safety risk.

It wants Congress to prevent airlines shrinking seats even further and establish a minimum seat size. A measure has passed the House of Representatives but still needs Senate approval.

“We call it torture class,” said Paul Hudson, the organisation’s president. “It has been going on for the last 10 to 15 years, seats have been getting smaller as people get larger. Our view is they have been shrinking seats to get more passengers on a plane to get more revenue. They are also trying to make it so uncomfortable that people will upgrade and pay far higher fares.

At a glance | How legroom has been lost
At a glance | How legroom has been lost

“We know a substantial proportion of the population can’t get into the seats right now: they are either too tall or too wide. There are also more passengers who are elderly or disabled in some way physically.”

According to FlyersRights, shrinking seats are increasing the risk of passengers suffering dangerous blood clots.

Which airlines fly with the most empty seats?
Which airlines fly with the most empty seats?

The group has appealed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to act, arguing that the combination of shrinking seats and larger passengers means that it is impossible to evacuate a plane in 90 seconds, as required by law.

Thus far, however, the FAA has resisted the change, arguing that there is no evidence that current seat sizes are a factor in evacuation speed.

According to Mr Hudson, seat pitch - the distance between seats - has fallen from 31-35 inches in the 1970s to as little as 28 inches on some no-frills airlines.

Long-haul flights | The best and worst airlines for legroom
Long-haul flights | The best and worst airlines for legroom
Short-haul flights | The best and worst airlines for legroom
Short-haul flights | The best and worst airlines for legroom

Seat width, he added, has fallen from 18.5 inches to, in some cases, as little as 17 inches.

At a glance | How seat width has shrunk
At a glance | How seat width has shrunk

His concerns are shared by Bob Mann, a New York-based aviation consultant.

“When I was flying as an employee right up until the 1990s I never had any problem with seating,” he said. “Since then things have gone downhill. Now the only way you can get more space is to look for the exit row. I think airlines have designed a product which is unsuitable for purpose. It’s uncomfortable and completely unusable."

He also questioned the assertion by airlines that they carry out evacuation tests.

“I have been in the industry 40 years and I have never seen an airline carry out an evacuation test apart from startups.”

Seat pitch | How low do they go?
Seat pitch | How low do they go?

There is some hope for passengers in the US, however, with airlines responding to mounting passenger anger at what is seen as the race to the bottom.

American Airlines has scrapped plans to reduce seat pitch in some economy cabins from 31 to 29 inches, while Delta Airlines has said that seats in its newly renovated Boeing 777 aircraft will be 18.5 inches wide.

Right now, air travellers are benefitting from robust competition through access to record low fares, more choices and better service when they fly,” said a spokesman for Airlines for America, the industry trade group.

“We believe market forces should ultimately determine whether the industry is meeting customers’ expectations, rather than government regulation.”

Best of | Travel Truths
Best of | Travel Truths