Sen. Schumer gauging public opinion on shrinking legroom and seat width on planes
NEW YORK -- Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on everyone to weigh in on the size of airplane seats.
The average seat width has decreased from 35 inches in the 1970s to about 31 inches today. Schumer said during a news conference on Sunday that shrinking legroom and seat width are serious safety issues, and the Federal Aviation Administration could soon accept a proposal from airlines to make them even smaller.
"The squeezing, the tightening, the cramming of airlines makes people feel more like sardines than travelers. And not to mention we have to talk about the effect of these seats on people with disabilities, people with little children," Schumer said. "You have until Nov. 1 to call into the FAA, to email them, to write, and tell them not to shrink seats even further."
Schumer said the FAA could determine new seat dimensions depending on public input.
