This is cut down from the London Times of 5th Sept 2001. Full story at:
The Times
AIRLINE seats are so tightly packed together that passengers cannot adopt the “brace” position in an emergency and may take
too long to escape from a burning plane, according to a study commissioned by air safety regulators.
The minimum distance between seat rows, known as the seat pitch, must be increased by at least 3in, the report recommends. However, an extra 10in may be needed to accommodate taller people safely.
The report, which has been obtained by The Times, is being considered by Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority. If the
recommendations are adopted, airlines will have to strip out up to 100 seats from each plane. UK airlines say fares would rise by a third.
Charter and budget airlines would be most affected because their seat size is close to the current minimum, which the report finds is unsafe. One charter airline has estimated that it would cost £50 million a year to comply with the recommended new sizes.
“Most carriers have found few passengers are willing to pay more for extra legroom,” a spokesman for the British Air Transport Association, which represents airlines, said.
The report calls for a series of evacuation tests to be carried out to establish how many extra seconds it takes to escape when the seats are tightly packed. The report also recommends further research into the risks of developing deep vein thrombosis from sitting in cramped conditions.
<CUT>
The seat width, which is unregulated, was also too narrow on many planes, with “larger passengers having great difficulty in getting in and out of their seats”. It was also impossible, when seated, to avoid “body contact” with people in neighbouring seats.
<CUT>
The researchers, from Nottingham University Medical School, Loughborough University and the ICE ergonomics consultancy, criticise the current regulations for failing to take into account the 1in-2in of space lost when the person in front reclines his seat. The study recommends that the minimum be measured when the seat is reclined and be increased from 26in to 28.2in, meaning the gap would have to grow by at least 3.2in.
However, the report says it may be necessary to increase the seat pitch to 35in to allow for the “optimum safe brace position”.
The seat pitch on some charter airlines can be as little as 27in. Budget airlines tend to offer 29in. The study recommended a minimum seat width of 19.6in, 4in more than currently offered by some budget airlines. To comply, they may have to remove a whole line of seats running the length of the plane.
<CUT>
The CAA said that the report was being considered by the Joint Aviation Authorities, the European-wide safety regulator, which would decide whether to impose the recommendations.