‘Pitch’ an airline seat is the distance between a point on the seat, and the same point on the seat in front of it. According to Wiki, it can be as little as 28 inches on some low-cost airlines, but is typically 29 or 30 inches on others. Last time I measured myself, I was 5’ 11"; and I’m overweight. The last time I flew was on Southwest. It was not especially comfortable, but by not having a cary-on bag stowed below the seat in front of me, I could stretch my legs well enough. But forget using the tray table. It was uncomfortably close. If the person ahead reclined, it would have been very uncomfortable indeed.
Airlines were deregulated in 1978. This allowed more airlines to be formed and resulted in reduced fares, among other things. But there’s a downside. Reduced fares mean more people are flying. Airplanes are expensive, and airlines often lose money as it is. So the best way to move all of these people – and keep costs under control – is to put as many people on a plane as they can get away with. Once upon a time, before deregulation, airlines competed on amenities. They’d claim to have the most comfortable seats, the best in-flight meals, the sexiest stewardesses, or whatever. Now they (virtually) all compete on price. Recently airlines have been charging fees for things that have always been included in the ticket price; but the most noticeable cost of low fares is the reduction in seat pitch.
We’ve all heard about the Knee Defender incident. Now another flight has been diverted over a reclining seat dispute. I don’t know if it is true, but my feeling is that there have been more incidents in the past couple of years where irate passengers cause airplanes to divert. I foresee more incidents in the future.
So what’s to be done about it? The Holy Church of the Free Market teaches us that consumers will vote with their wallets, and that companies that don’t ‘deliver the goods’ will fail. I don’t think this is true in the case of airlines. People have little enough money now. I think most people will still buy the cheapest ticket. So in-flight incidents will continue as passengers continue to be packed into the aluminum tubes.
So what about regulating seat pitch? Airlines will complain that forcing them to carry fewer passengers per plane will cut into their already-slim profits. And it will. They will make less money if they carry fewer passengers, or they will have to spend money to buy planes and hire crews to carry all of their passengers. On the other hand, diverting an airplane also costs the airlines money. It also adds traffic to an already-busy system, which costs the government money and may affect aviation safety. Local authorities have to deal with the people being removed, so it costs them time and money. People who would be calm if they were comfortable would now have arrest records and face financial penalties. (Not to mention that irate passengers can be a physical hazard to the cabin crew.)
Suppose the government made a new rule that required a minimum of 32" or 34" in economy class? Would it be worth it to reduce in-flight disruptions, diversions, and costs? Or would that be too great an intrusion on an already heavily-regulated industry?