Why are Passengers Fighting?
Excerpts from Yahoo News
Just weeks ahead of the busiest time for airplane travel, the Federal Aviation Administration wrapped up a public forum for comments on the size and safety of seats aboard planes.
The FAA received more than 26,000 comments after requesting feedback from passengers about whether standard seat sizes are needed for safety reasons, like emergency evacuations.
“Flying has become torture,” one person wrote. “My legs are so cramped, it is painful.”
“Not only do smaller seats affect comfort, they are also a safety issue,” another commenter said.
Since the 1990s, the width of airplane seats has shrunk from 18 inches to about 16 inches, and the distance between seat backs has decreased from 35 inches to sometimes less than 28 inches, according to FlyersRights, a passenger advocacy group.
FlyersRights is pushing the federal government to prevent airlines from making seats even smaller.
"If we don’t get minimum standards, then airlines will continue to shrink the seats," Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights, told TODAY.
