New Law Could Mean Roomier Airline Seats Thanks To Illinois Rep.

ACROSS ILLINOIS — Whether you're spending an hour or several hours traveling on a commercial airplane, comfort is important. And while it may appear the technology on airplanes is constantly advancing, the size of you in-flight seat has not, which poses serious safety concerns, according to an Illinois congressman. That's why Adam Kinzinger, the U.S. representative for Illinois' 16th Congressional District, said he co-introduced the Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act, after he and a colleague began looking into this issue, according to a release.

The bipartisan legislation was included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018 that was signed into law by President Trump on Oct. 5. The legislation ensures appropriate standards for legroom per seat and overall seat sizes, which will make air travel more enjoyable and safer for passengers," Kinzinger said, in a release.

The law funds the FAA through 2023, which includes several new measures to improve airline safety, and also requires the FAA to establish a minimum seat and legroom size per seat.

But what brought such an issue into the Illinois congressman's mind?

In a release, Kinzinger, a military and general aviation pilot, noted his passion and enjoyment for flying, but said he's noticed the amount of room between rows of seats and the width of seats aren't as big as they used to be on commercial planes.

"Two years ago my colleague and I looked into it and found out that the average distance between rows of seats has dropped from 35 inches to about 31 inches today, and the average width of an airline seat has shrunk from 18 inches to about 16.5 inches," Kinzinger said. "These reductions have made air travel a hassle for passengers, but worse, they have made things far more dangerous and pose serious safety concerns in the event of an emergency."

According to Fortune, those supporting this new requirement hope it will result in more seat room for passengers, and stop airlines from cramming more seats on planes to in turn make more money.

However, the legislation could also lead to the FAA establishing the size limit to where it's currently at, which means the same old squeeze for airline passengers.

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