Spacious isn’t a word one would necessarily use to describe Economy seats, especially not in recent years, but that’s just how they may feel in the future if new aviation requirements are passed.
America’s Federal Aviation Administration may soon need to implement a minimum requirement for Economy seats that’d stop airlines from cutting back on width and legroom in the zone often referred to as ‘sardine class’.
The regulation proposed by the US Congress would prevent airlines from reducing room between rows, which has decreased in recent years from 34-35 inches to 30 inches as airlines trim space in order to squeeze in more capacity, Skift.com reported.
Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said lawmakers agreed that it was time to put an end to “ever-shrinking seats”.
“Relief could soon be on the way for weary airline passengers facing smaller and smaller seats.”
Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida
The bill also prevents airlines from involuntarily bumping passengers who have already boarded a plane – a request, which may have emerged out of the April 2017 incident where a man was filmed being forcibly removed from a United aircraft.
Other requests in the proposed regulations include a review of health impacts caused by airport flight noise and a compulsory 10-hour minimum rest between shifts for flight attendants.
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