Attempt by Congressman Kinzinger to stop shrinking airline seats defeated in the Senate

If you’re a larger individual, here’s some bad news.

A proposed bill trying to stop airlines from shrinking the size of airplane seats has failed in the U.S. Senate. Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger pushed the “Safe Egress in Air Travel Act” or SEAT Act.

His proposal would have required airlines to have a minimum seat size. Kinzinger says seats have been shrinking and the spaces between rows have shrunk over the years. The reason for the bill is said to be for the safety of passengers, not to address the possibility that passengers are getting bigger.

Economy-class seats have shrunk on average from 18 inches wide to 16.5 inches.