LAST autumn, FlyersRights.org, a non-profit organisation representing air travellers, drafted a petition to the American Congress demanding new guidelines for the minimum distance between rows in planes. Tens of thousands of stiff-limbed flyers quickly signed their names to the entreaty.
It worked, at least initially. Steve Cohen, a Democratic congressman from Tennessee, introduced an amendment to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding bill last week that would have mandated a certain amount of legroom for passengers. The average distance between seat rows, he said, has declined from 35 inches before airlines were deregulated in the 1970s to 31 inches today, while the average seat width has fallen from 18 to 16.5 inches.
“This isn't just a matter of comfort,” he declared in introducing the bill, backronymically dubbed the Seat Egress in Air Travel, or SEAT, Act. “It is about safety and health. The FAA requires that planes be capable of...Continue reading
Source: Business and finance http://ift.tt/1VjhsdL
EmoticonEmoticon