It is still unclear whether the Federal Aviation Administration will take any action that could provide you more legroom to work with in the future after three months of gathering complaints and individualized anecdotes from airline passengers regarding the size of seats.
The FAA closed the 90-day comment period on the minimum seat dimensions in relation to safety on board commercial aircraft this week.
The FAA's future rule-making involving the minimum size of seats will be influenced by the tens of thousands of comments it received, the vast majority of which were unfavorable.
Industry experts caution that even after passengers voiced their concerns about anything from tired legs to concerns about their ability to quickly escape, it's still feasible — and perhaps even likely — that few, if any, meaningful adjustments could be on the horizon.
There are numerous seat-related complaints.
The FAA received more than 26,000 comments about the size of airline seats between August and November from a diverse range of individuals, including frequent and infrequent travelers, airline lobbyists, legislators, and supporters of passenger rights.
It's simple to get a feel for the tone of many by clicking through the comments, which are open to everyone to read.
390 responders mentioned "circulation," while more than 2,900 entries included comments mentioning "knees."
Joel Estes, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, is among them.
As a result of my knee and circulation problems, it can be unpleasant and challenging for me to walk when I first arrive, Estes stated.
"I would be hard-pressed to leave swiftly if there was a need for evacuation in an emergency."
1,200 additional respondents made remarks regarding aircraft seats, many of which used the term "pain" or "painful."
Richard Austin commented, "It is typical for me to feel back, leg, and hip pain for a few days after a flight."
Even the word "torture" was used by some customers.
Their remarks follow a pattern that any frequent traveler is familiar with:
Seat pitch, which is the distance between a fixed location on one seat and the one in front of it, has decreased by several inches over the years and is now around 30 or 31 inches on several carriers.
Pitch has been lowered on some low-cost aircraft to as low as 28 inches.
Today's Americans are also more likely to be classified as obese than they were decades ago.
The FAA received a petition from a passenger rights organization last month requesting stricter regulations on seat size and, in the interim, a block on further seat reduction.
Change is being demanded by a variety of groups outside only airline customers and their supporters.
Six Democratic U.S. senators voiced their disapproval of the FAA's inaction thus far on seat size in comments submitted this past week, which also criticized the recent trend of aircraft seats getting smaller.
"It's obvious that the trend is affecting passengers negatively.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, and the other half-dozen members argued in favor of minimum seat size requirements in their letter, saying that it cannot go on.
Yet others warn against expecting significant changes.
FAA prioritized safety over comfort.
The FAA will only consider safety, not comfort, as it evaluates the opinions shared over the past three months and (maybe) takes future action.
The FAA is specifically tasked with taking into account how simple it is for passengers to immediately exit during an emergency.
In compliance with the Congress-passed 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act, the organization is carrying out this evaluation.
In accordance with the act, the FAA "must promulgate regulations that specify minimum dimension for passenger seats on planes, including minimums for seat pitch, width, and length, and that are necessary for the safety of passengers."
The crucial phrase is in the last clause.
The FAA has maintained that this clause gives it authority to establish any seat sizing guidelines it deems essential for passenger safety.
In that case, the agency would not be obligated to establish regulations that it does not deem necessary.
This week, major airlines hailed the FAA's prior choices to avoid broad limits on seat capacity and indicated that they would likely oppose any significant enforcement action.
Airlines for America and the International Air Transport Association, two airline industry trade groups, stated in comments submitted jointly this week that "the FAA should keep its current focus on safety and not comfort or convenience."
The organizations said that FAA testing demonstrate that even the most stringent confirmations now utilized by airlines "are not a factor in evacuation speed."
According to a recent FAA evacuation study, 99% of passengers would be secure in their seats aboard U.S. commercial aircraft during an evacuation.
However, that analysis was disputed by the six senators as well as Henry Harteveldt, an expert on the aviation sector.
Harteveldt referred to it as "half-baked," but he nonetheless issued a warning that it is doubtful that the FAA will take any action to ease crowded conditions on planes.
Using a football analogy, he said, "I believe that the FAA is most likely going to punt on this and keep the status quo in place.
What might that look like if the FAA took action?
Harteveldt projected that they "[would] make small modifications that would effect the budget carriers most of all."
"I anticipate that where we "net out" will be fairly similar to where we are right now."
Nevertheless, it's important to remember that the Biden administration has recently given airlines closer scrutiny due to cancellations, delays, and worries over fee-heavy pricing structures.
In the sake of protecting consumer rights, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has promised that further controls on airlines are imminent.
The FAA itself refuses to comment on whether it is actually likely to impose new restrictions, thus Buttigieg's agency withheld any Friday comments on anticipated seat size rule-making.
"We will examine all pertinent remarks.
There is no defined time schedule for our review, an agency official said on Friday.
In conclusion
Tens of thousands of comments regarding airline seat sizes have been made in recent months, which the FAA will now review.
However, industry analysts believe it's doubtful that there will be a significant change that may provide you additional legroom on upcoming flights.
It's worth keeping an eye on, though, given recent federal monitoring of airlines.
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