Air Travelers Resisting the ‘Incredible Shrinking Airline Seat’<br />While low-cost airlines like Spirit have narrowed the distance between rows of seats to as little as 28 inches, most<br />of the big American airlines have kept the distance — what’s known in the business as seat pitch — at 30 inches.<br />“The commercial side — primarily the people who run airline revenue departments — want more seats on planes,”<br />said Henry Harteveldt, co-founder of Atmosphere Research Group, an airline and travel industry analyst.<br />“While it’s only 28 inches in pitch, it actually feels like it’s about 30 inches,” he said.<br />“The good news is that pretty much every domestic flight you’re going to take<br />is going to be in a 737 or A320 — no way can you do four-three,” he said.<br />The group won a round in its court battle with the F. A.A.<br />in July, when a Federal District Court told the agency to address what it referred to as “the incredible shrinking airline seat.”<br />Paul Hudson, president of Flyers Rights, said the need for seat regulation is driven by safety concerns.
