FAA must reconsider regulating airline seat size as spacing continues to shrink

Oxman

Oxman

Well-Known Member
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ine-seat-size-space-shrinks-article-1.3366125

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An appeals court panel said Friday that federal officials must reconsider their decision not to regulate the size of airline seats as a safety issue.

One of the judges called it "the Case of the Incredible Shrinking Airline Seat."

The Flyers Rights passenger group challenged the Federal Aviation Administration in court after the agency rejected its request to write rules governing seat size and the distance between rows of seats.

On Friday, a three-judge panel for the federal appeals court in Washington said the FAA had relied on outdated or irrelevant tests and studies before deciding that seat spacing was a matter of comfort, not safety.
 
How many rows are the airlines actually adding when they do this? Maybe one? To be honest, aside from sitting in a first class seat, I really don't recall a time ever where I sat in coach and was like "Wow, look at all this leg room. What a comfy seat" Airline seats in economy have always kind of sucked. They can add more leg room and people will still complain.
 
SeanD said:
How many rows are the airlines actually adding when they do this? Maybe one? To be honest, aside from sitting in a first class seat, I really don't recall a time ever where I sat in coach and was like "Wow, look at all this leg room. What a comfy seat" Airline seats in economy have always kind of sucked. They can add more leg room and people will still complain.
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One row is six seats - so you figure 3.4% of the capacity on a 175 seat configuration. In an industry with razor thin margins, that's not nothing. What is Frontier getting out of their 321 config - 230 seats by stretching it? Add in the fact that service quality (in any form) has never once stopped a consumer in the ULCC segment from booking a flight, and it makes sense.
 
I know it's not a domestic airline but when I flew on Turkish for 11.5 freaking hours my ankles were swollen for 2 days afterward because my knees were dug into the seatback in front me for the entire flight. Only way to relieve them was to twist my legs and ankles into weird, circulation cutting angles. I'm 6' so not crazy tall by any means.
 
SeanD said:
How many rows are the airlines actually adding when they do this? Maybe one? To be honest, aside from sitting in a first class seat, I really don't recall a time ever where I sat in coach and was like "Wow, look at all this leg room. What a comfy seat" Airline seats in economy have always kind of sucked. They can add more leg room and people will still complain.
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They weren't too bad in the early 70s. Way better than now!
 
Is seat pitch even a good measurement standard any more? Those new United "slim line" seats, while uncomfortable, are super thin and certainly give you more knee space than the old Continental Barcaloungers.
 
As if you don't want a gristly steak, you'd leave The Sizzler to go to Ruth's Chris.

If you want more space, you'd go to economy to first class.

It all comes at a cost.

Otherwise, we're legislating that Subway give you more meat and more delectable cheez.
 
Derg said:
As if you don't want a gristly steak, you'd leave The Sizzler to go to Ruth's Chris.

If you want more space, you'd go to economy to first class.

It all comes at a cost.

Otherwise, we're legislating that Subway give you more meat and more delectable cheez.
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This. If you want to re-regulate, go all in.

You'll get your seat pitch, but that'll be $400 to the coast. In 1974 dollars. Here's the link kiddies:

https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl
 
Murdoughnut said:
One row is six seats - so you figure 3.4% of the capacity on a 175 seat configuration. In an industry with razor thin margins, that's not nothing. What is Frontier getting out of their 321 config - 230 seats by stretching it? Add in the fact that service quality (in any form) has never once stopped a consumer in the ULCC segment from booking a flight, and it makes sense.
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For those keeping score at home, JetBlue puts 200 seats in a 321, and Delta has 192 seats in a 321.
 
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