http://www.usatoday.com/story/trave...el-no-regulation-airline-seat-sizes/80240798/While passengers have grown larger, Cohen said seats averaged 18 inches wide before deregulation of the industry, compared to 16.5 inches today. Similarly, he say seats used to provide an average of 35 inches between seatbacks but is now down to about 31 inches.
Besides evacuation, Cohen worried about tighter seating leading to deep-vein thrombosis in the legs of passengers.
“This is about safety and health, not about comfort,” Cohen said.