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Schumer Wants To Require FAA To Institute Minimum Seat-Size Rules

Airline Seats
Wiki Commons

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer wants to require the Federal Aviation Administration to institute minimum seat-size rules for airlines, which he says now force passengers to sit on planes "like sardines."

The New York Democrat says commercial airlines have been shrinking the size of seats and reducing legroom on planes.

Schumer told The Associated Press on Saturday that he would add an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill that would require the agency to set seat-size standards. He is formally announcing the proposal at a news conference Sunday.

The FAA says the agency "looks forward to reviewing" the proposal. A trade group says the government's role is to determine a seat size that's safe, but not regulate more than that.

©2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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