House panel: No regulation of airline seat sizes

WASHINGTON – A television ad during the Super Bowl described airline seating as a “21st Century torture device,” which some House Democrats used Thursday to illustrate their proposal that the Transportation Department require a minimum seat space on airliners within a year.

Reps. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., and Janice Hahn, D-Calif., argued that airline seats have become so close together that they could represent a safety hazard during an emergency evacuation.

“There will be a crash and there will be people who will not be able to get out of an airplane,” Cohen said.

Congressman: It's time to regulate the size of airline seats

They attempted to add the provision to legislation governing the Federal Aviation Administration being debated in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

But Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., the committee chairman who wrote the bill, said the legislation he presented already provides for an evacuation study.  The Transportation Department can issue regulations based on safety, but not comfort, he said.

The committee rejected the amendment on a 33-26 vote.

"I am disappointed," Cohen said after the vote, arguing that it's time for the FAA to take action.

Despite the vote, airline seating remains an emotional issue. Hahn said narrow seating leads to air rage, with passengers fighting against each other.

While passengers have grown larger, Cohen said seats averaged 18 inches wide before deregulation of the industry, compared to 16.5 inches today. Similarly, he say seats used to provide an average of 35 inches between seatbacks but is now down to about 31 inches.

Besides evacuation, Cohen worried about tighter seating leading to deep-vein thrombosis in the legs of passengers.

“This is about safety and health, not about comfort,” Cohen said.

Hahn also proposed a second amendment to require the FAA to conduct evacuation tests on planes with 28 inches between seatbacks. FAA conducted its tests on planes with 31 inches between seatbacks, she said.

“We don’t know if these smaller row sizes are going to allow for a 90-second evacuation,” Hahn said.

The committee rejected the amendment on a 33-26 vote.