Seats on planes flown by commercial airlines are shrinking and legroom continues to be reduced -- so much so that US Senator Charles Schumer is calling for new regulations.
The New York Democrat wants to require the Federal Aviation Administration to institute seat-size rules for airlines. He plans to introduce an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill that would require the agency to set seat-size standards.
Schumer says the average distance between rows of seats has dropped by nearly 20 inches since 1970.
"They're like sardines," Schumer said of airplane passengers. "It's no secret that airlines are looking for more ways to cut costs, but they shouldn't be cutting inches of legroom and seat width in the process."
Currently, there are no federal limits on how close an airline's row of seats can be or how wide an airline's seat must be.
Neither the FAA nor an airline trade group immediately responded to requests for comment.