Comfort and flying have become oxymorons. Smaller airline seats and tighter rows may be more than a comfort issue for older consumers. They could be a safety issue, too.
... [+]Loud enough for everyone from the terminal to the plane door to hear, Connie giddily declares to a far less excited passenger standing beside her on the jetway: “We are on a girls’ weekend to the city!”
Connie, and the ‘girls,’ are probably well into their 60s. And, like most of us of a certain age, maybe aren’t as svelte as we once were. As I put my bag up, I see Connie and her crew squeeze into their row beyond mid-cabin. Connie sinks out of sight into a middle seat sandwiched on either side by her travel mates.
For most people, comfort and flying have become oxymorons. Comfort, however, is now being linked to passenger safety and health. Tighter seating is argued to be a threat to a speedy emergency evacuation and even the cause of dangerous health conditions such as blood clots.
In response to Congress, the FAA conducted a study finding that seat size does not slow evacuation time — that is everyone must be out in 90 seconds. The study findings provide the airlines with data to object to calls for federal regulations that might set seat size requirements.
Perhaps. If so, the airline industry may need to revisit who their customers are today and will be tomorrow – and ask how to best serve all of them. Growing passenger posteriors and shrinking seat size is certainly an issue, but so is the age and safety of the flying public.
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