Petition Calls For Airline Seat Standards To End The Cabin Crush

[brooklynite]

Airport News:

With commercial airlines packing more passengers per plane, many fliers believe that the federal government should adopt minimum airline seat standards for legroom and width to ensure the safety and comfort of travelers.

That is the sentiment of more than 30,000 people who signed a petition that was sent last month to Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta.

The petition, circulated by the passenger rights group FlyersRights.org, points out that many airlines have installed narrower seats with less legroom to boost capacity. It asks the FAA to put a moratorium on any further reduction in seat space and to appoint a panel to come up with minimum seat standards.

"The shrinkage of seats and passenger space by airlines to generate higher profits while the size of passengers has substantially increased has created an intolerable crisis situation," according to the petition. "It is threatening the health, safety and comfort of all passengers."

[DFW]

1. AMEN!!!

I have had surgery on both knees and can hardly walk after a domestic flight of more than 2 hours in the USA.

On overseas flights, I spend the extra cash (luckily I can) and fly business so that I don't have to debark in a wheelchair. Some non-US airlines are OK in coach, but most of them have codeshares with US airlines. That means that even though you may have booked with Air France, British or Lufthansa, you might end up flying with Delta, American or United instead. That is a risk I refuse to take.

[stevenleser]

2. It really can kill you.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2016/the-pre-travel-consultation/deep-vein-thrombosis-pulmonary-embolism

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in which a blood clot develops in the deep veins, most commonly in the lower extremities. A part of the clot can break off and travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism (PE), which can be life threatening. About 25% of calf vein DVTs, if left untreated, will extend to involve the proximal lower extremity veins (popliteal, femoral, or iliac veins); a proximal lower extremity DVT, if left untreated, has about a 50% risk of leading to a PE. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a term that includes both DVT and PE. Many cases are asymptomatic and resolve spontaneously. VTE is often recurrent, and long-term complications, such as postthrombotic syndrome after a DVT or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension after a PE, are frequent.

More than 300 million people travel on long-haul flights each year. An association between VTE and air travel was first reported in the early 1950s, and since then, long-haul air travel has become more common, leading to increased concerns about travel-related VTE.

PATHOGENESIS

Virchow’s classic triad for thrombus formation is venous stasis, vessel wall damage, and the hypercoagulable state. Prolonged cramped sitting during long-distance travel interferes with venous flow in the legs and causes venous stasis. Seat-edge pressure on the popliteal area may contribute to vessel wall damage as well as venous stasis. Coagulation activation may result from an interaction between cabin conditions (such as hypobaric hypoxia) and individual risk factors for VTE. Studies of the pathophysiologic mechanisms for the increased risk of VTE after long-distance travel have not produced consistent results, but venous stasis appears to play a major role; other factors specific to air travel may increase coagulation activation, particularly in passengers with individual risk factors for VTE.
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(More at above link)

[bvf]

3. Then there's this.

http://www.theonion.com/article/report-airlines-installing-uncomfortable-bumps-sea-50903

[yeoman6987]

4. I am for it but remember less seats, higher costs

[Warren DeMontague]

5. good luck.

[trueblue2007]

6. SIGNED AND POSTED ON FACE BOOK