The safety risk of shrinking airline seats questioned by DOT
WASHINGTON - The shrinking space on airplanes is surely uncomfortable, but it might also be dangerous for passengers' health and safety.
WASHINGTON - The shrinking space on airplanes is surely uncomfortable, but it might also be dangerous for passengers' health and safety.
Planes are filled with more passengers than ever. Fliers are older and heavier. Flight attendants warn about an increase in air rage, and experts question whether having rows of seats packed closer together might make it harder for passengers to evacuate after a crash.
A consumer advisory group set up by the U.S. Department of Transportation and chaired by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane dove into all of those issues Tuesday at a public hearing as part of its role of making nonbinding suggestions to government regulators.
Charlie Leocha, the consumer representative on the committee, said the government sets standards for the conditions for dogs flying as cargo but does not dictate minimum space standards for passengers.
"In a world where animals have more rights to space and food than humans," Leocha said, "it is time that the DOT and FAA take a stand for humane treatment of passengers."
Fliers last summer squeezed into the least amount of personal space in the history of flying. In July, U.S. airlines sold a record 87.8 percent of seats on domestic flights, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. And that figure does not include all of the seats occupied by passengers who redeemed frequent-flier miles or airline employees flying free.
"Unfortunately, the days of the empty middle seat are a thing of the past," said Julie Frederick, a representative for the American Airlines flight attendants union.
Following the implementation of checked-bag fees in 2008, Frederick said, more passengers are carrying on bags, fighting for overhead bin space. That anger carries over through the flight as passengers bump elbows on armrests and bang their knees against tray tables. She said there are more cases of air rage, many of which go unreported.
Questions were also raised about whether the increased density of seating means passengers would not be able to evacuate fast enough after a crash. The Federal Aviation Administration runs various tests, including how fast passengers can evacuate a plane and how fast they can put on a life preserver. But current tests use wider rows than some airlines are using now.
Kane noted concern that the FAA does not factor in human panic, especially parents who might take extra time to ensure their children are safe before evacuating.
"So they aren't the average traveler, quite honestly," Kane said.
Producing more legroom isn't that simple.
After years of major losses and a wave of bankruptcies, airlines are profitable again after adding baggage fees and increasing the number of seats on jets. Last year, U.S. carriers earned more than a combined $11 billion.
Airlines do offer coach passengers more legroom, if they are willing to pay for it - often $50 extra each way. Many travelers aren't.
Keith Hansen, director of government affairs for budget carrier Allegiant Air, said the No. 1 thing vacationers care about is price.
"The only way we can offer a low airfare ... is to increase the seating density so we can divide the cost of operating a flight among the greatest number of people possible," Hansen said.
