In 2017, passengers rights group FlyersRights.org filed a petition asking the FAA to establish a minimum seat size guideline for all U.S. airlines. The Flyers Rights complaint asserted that the shrinking cabin space airlines were using to get more people on their flights was contributing to an increasing number of altercations in the air.
The group also said that shrinking seats threatened the ability of passengers to evacuate a plane within 90 seconds in the event of an emergency, which the FAA refuted.
Later, the issue moved out of the hands of the courts and into the hands of lawmakers.
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Thanks to the bi-partisan effort on behalf of the Senate (yes, they actually worked together on this), a bill passed with a 96-3 vote that will require the Federal Aviation Administration to set a minimum size for airplane seats and leg room for safety reasons. Now, we still don’t know what those minimums will look like, but this will prevent airlines from continuously shrinking seats on U.S. aircrafts.
One more good thing that came out of this bi-partisan win. The legislation protects passengers from being made to exit overbooked planes.
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Though the Democrats didn’t get the baggage fee regulations they were hoping for, this new bill is certainly a win for travelers everywhere. The bill will now make its way President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.
Maybe now we won’t have to fight for the middle arm rest.