London - A US Congressman has launched a crusade for bans on small seats and limited legroom on flights.
Steve Cohen, a Democrat who represents Tennessee, wants the federal government to stipulate minimum legroom and seat width. He has introduced the “Safe Egress in Air Travel Act of 2016” - or Seat Act. It calls on the Secretary of Transportation “to establish minimum dimensions for passenger seats on aircraft” including width and seat pitch (the distance from the front of one seat to the front of the next).
He said: “Shrinking seats raise safety and health concerns and it's time for the FAA to take action.”
The amount of space for economy-class passengers in the US has steadily declined over the decades since deregulation in the 1970s.
Malcolm Ginsberg, editor of Business Travel News, said: “Mr Cohen may live in the land of free enterprise but he is out of touch with what that means. Yes, you can have bigger seats and accommodate fewer passengers, but that means price rises. Much better to have slimmer and healthier travellers and perhaps fare reductions.”
The Independent has found that economy class on most transatlantic flights has a seat pitch of just 31in, with seats 17in wide or fractionally more. United Airlines 757 flights have a seat width of just 16in.
The Independent