HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz is co-sponsoring a bill to require the Federal Aviation Administration to set minimum seat sizes on airplanes. ADVERTISING HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz is co-sponsoring a bill to require the Federal
HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz is co-sponsoring a bill to require the Federal Aviation Administration to set minimum seat sizes on airplanes.
The Senate bill calls for standards that ensure safety and a minimum level of comfort for passengers. It addresses seat width, legroom, padding and aisle width on all commercial passenger planes.
Critics say passengers would rather have cheaper airfares than more legroom. They say airlines already offer larger spaces for passengers who are willing to pay.
Schatz said Thursday that legroom on airplanes has decreased from 35 inches to about 31 inches since 1978. He says the average seat width has dropped from 18.5 inches in the 1990s to about 17 inches today.
The bill follows a Hawaii state Senate resolution on the same topic that passed in March.
