The Senate is refusing to come to the aid of airline passengers squeezed by the ever-shrinking size of their seats.
An amendment by Senator Chuck Schumer would have blocked airlines from further reducing the size of seats, but the proposal failed on the floor Thursday afternoon.
"The airline lobbyists swarmed on the hill, got the majority of senators to vote against it, and unfortunately now, the traveler won't get much relief," said Sen. Schumer. "The airlines are making record profits. Leave it to them, they'll protect consumers. That doesn't work."
Economy-class airline seats have shrunk in recent years, on average from a width of 18-inches to 16.5-inches.
