Cramped airline seats may spark fights, health concerns
WASHINGTON — Sitting still on long flights is what threatens a rare risk of blood clotting, rather than necessarily how close seats are squeezed together on airliners, a Transportation Department consumer panel heard Tuesday.
And the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection also heard arguments that placing more seats on planes is how low-cost carriers are able to offer cheaper fares. If the department were to require more room between rows, fewer seats would mean higher fares, the committee heard at the panel.
"If airlines are forced to reduce the number of seats, inevitably fares are going to increase," said Keith Hansen, director of facilities for Allegiant Air. "We would price a lot of those travelers out of flying."
The consumer panel — four members who represent consumers, local governments, airlines and airports — studies aviation issues and makes recommendations to the Transportation secretary. Tuesday's hearing was strictly informational.
Nimea Reyes, a doctor in the division of blood disorders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said studies have found the risk of thrombosis grows with immobility through any kind of sitting, not just on planes, but cars or trains or other transportation. The risk is that a clot forms in the lower leg and then dislodges to injure the lungs or heart.
Studies of airline passengers found risks of one case in 4,656 flights or one in 6,000 flights, she said.
"In general, the overall incidence is low," Reyes said.
Higher risks come from recent surgery, active cancer, estrogen use, pregnancy, limited mobility, family history, older age and obesity. Risks during travel grow with the duration of the flight, she said.
"Most studies showed that long-distance air travel was a risk factor" for thrombosis, Reyes said of flights longer than 10 hours.
To prevent thrombosis, Reyes suggested calf-muscle exercises, wearing compression stockings and moving around every few hours. Aisle seats are considered better than middle or window seats because they allow for easier movement.
"It is more likely that you'll move around," Reyes said.
The panel studied health and safety aspects of seat arrangements because the "pitch" — an industry term for the distance from the back of one seat to the back of the next — has been dropping from 32 inches or more to as close as 28 inches. Seatbacks also are becoming thinner, making the cabin feel more crowded.
A key incident focused attention on seat spacing in August, when passengers got into a fight when a traveler used a Knee Defender, a device that prevents a seat from reclining.
Ira Goldman said he created the Knee Defender 11 years ago because many people bump knees against the seat in front of them, even before reclining, which only makes it worse.
"I was tired of being hit in the knees by the aluminum bar in the tray table," Goldman said.
He suggested the Federal Aviation Administration should change its guidance to allow passengers to move around the cabin during non-turbulent flights. The Transportation Department should force airlines to publish information about how much room their seats provide, and provide refunds if a seat is too cramped, he said.
"If it is cramped to the point that you are physically confined to your seat, then cramped airline seats are causing health problems," Goldman said.
The FAA requires airlines to be able to evacuate a plane within 90 seconds, with half the doors blocked. The FAA studies evacuations with a 31-inch pitch. While the narrow rows and aisles can hinder movement, the FAA doesn't regulate seating for comfort.
Simon Pickup, strategic marketing director for Airbus Americas, said economy seats in standard cabins generally have 31- to 34-inch pitch. Ultra-low-cost carriers such as Spirit have 28-inch pitch, he said.
Airlines have different layouts to appeal to different customers. Spirit puts 218 seats in an Airbus 321 with bargain fares, while American might have 102 seats in three classes with more expensive fares.
"They each play a part in capturing passengers who have different needs," Pickup said.
Hansen of Allegiant said surveys found half the airline's passengers say low fares are their highest priority.
Allegiant's MD 80 aircraft have 166 seats in a cabin that previously held 150, he said. Most of the plane's seats have a 30-inch pitch, as do its Boeing 757, A319 and A320, he said.
"Low fares drive demand," Hansen said. "Above all else, the customer wants a low fare."