HARTFORD--If you feel like planes are more packed and you have less room to sit than in years past, you're not imagining that difference. The average airline seat's width and leg room has shrunk.
According to Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office, the average width has dropped from 18 to 16.5 inches and leg room has gone from 35 to 31 inches.
"The flight I was just on did not have very much head room or leg room,” said Jared Lundberg, a passenger arriving at Bradley Airport from Chicago.
And while planes are getting more uncomfortable, airline profits are soaring.
"It's more than inconvenience or discomfort, it actually is a threat to health and safety," said Blumenthal.
Blumenthal points to medical experts who warn decreased leg space could lead to higher risk for blood clots and pulmonary embolisms. Not to mention, packed passengers could make it harder to evacuate in an emergency.
"The effort to cram passengers like cattle into airplanes is designed solely and simply to increase the bottom line of airlines,” said Blumenthal.
On Monday he called on the FAA to adopt a minimum seat space standard.
Right now there are no regulations on how much space a passenger should have, yet there are minimum cargo space standards for pets.
"Passengers deserve to know the airlines' record profits are coming at the expense of passenger safety,” John Breyault, with the National Consumers League, said during the press conference. “It's time for Congress to step in and require minimum seat size standards."
Minimum standards are something many passengers can get on board with.
"I think regulation would be great as far as the amount of room we have,” said Lundberg, “especially for the longer flights. Taller people, bigger people, have trouble moving and getting comfortable."