Great news for air travelers who have had trouble squeezing their derriere into a seat on a plane: Washington lawmakers have got your backside.
With airline seat widths in coach recently shrinking to about 17 inches on some planes from 18.5 inches, the House on Wednesday ordered the FAA to set a minimum size for airline seats.
The vote, 398-23, gives regulators one year to come up with a plan — which must also address minimum distances between rows.
“People are getting larger, the seats are getting smaller, and it’s just obvious that you can’t evacuate the planes in the requisite time,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), giving the issue a safety spin rather than a people-are-just-too-damn-large focus.
The House bill, which now goes to the Senate, also:
- Bars passengers from being kicked off overbooked planes — an issue that gained international attention after airport officers, as seen in a video that went viral, dragged a 69-year-old man off a United Express plane last year to make room for an airline employee. Videos of the incident have been viewed more than 10 million times. Under the proposed rule, airlines could still bump people before boarding begins.
- Prohibits putting a live animal in an overhead bin. This rules gained traction after a French bulldog puppy died in the overhead bin of a United Airlines plane in March.
- Orders airlines, on their websites, to advise travelers on whether they will get hotel rooms, meals or seats on another carrier when their flights are delayed or canceled because of computer-related troubles.
- Keeps passengers from making cellphone calls during airline flights.
- Cracks down on the types of pets passengers can take aboard planes by claiming they are emotional support animals.
Not in the bill is a provision that would have set baggage fee limits. Airlines protested the move and it was stricken from the bill.
