Ronald Young Jr.

Right. It's true. The shrinking seat sizes have been so alarming that Congress and the FAA have been called on to intervene.

Right. It's true. The shrinking seat sizes have been so alarming that Congress and the FAA have been called on to intervene.

Right. It's true. The shrinking seat sizes have been so alarming that Congress and the FAA have been called on to intervene.

That's Andrea Sachs, another reporter with The Washington Post. She's been covering travel for 24 years. She's written quite a bit about the intersections of disability and air travel, as well as the experiences of plus-sized folks flying. Andrea filled me in with what happened with Congress.

That's Andrea Sachs, another reporter with The Washington Post. She's been covering travel for 24 years. She's written quite a bit about the intersections of disability and air travel, as well as the experiences of plus-sized folks flying. Andrea filled me in with what happened with Congress.

That's Andrea Sachs, another reporter with The Washington Post. She's been covering travel for 24 years. She's written quite a bit about the intersections of disability and air travel, as well as the experiences of plus-sized folks flying. Andrea filled me in with what happened with Congress.

And to Aubrey's original point, 17 inches wide is actually more generous than what's reported. In some cases and configurations, economy class seats can be as small as 16 inches wide. And keep in mind, this puts you right up next to your seatmate who is also struggling in their 16 inch seat, only 28 inches in some cases from the person in front of them.

And to Aubrey's original point, 17 inches wide is actually more generous than what's reported. In some cases and configurations, economy class seats can be as small as 16 inches wide. And keep in mind, this puts you right up next to your seatmate who is also struggling in their 16 inch seat, only 28 inches in some cases from the person in front of them.

And to Aubrey's original point, 17 inches wide is actually more generous than what's reported. In some cases and configurations, economy class seats can be as small as 16 inches wide. And keep in mind, this puts you right up next to your seatmate who is also struggling in their 16 inch seat, only 28 inches in some cases from the person in front of them.

So where it stands now is that Congress is putting pressure on the FAA to come up with a minimum seat size that would be considered safe for everyone. This would be the start to solving the cramped travel on a plane and would be helpful to plus-size travelers who are already doing everything they can to not encroach on their neighbors.

So where it stands now is that Congress is putting pressure on the FAA to come up with a minimum seat size that would be considered safe for everyone. This would be the start to solving the cramped travel on a plane and would be helpful to plus-size travelers who are already doing everything they can to not encroach on their neighbors.

So where it stands now is that Congress is putting pressure on the FAA to come up with a minimum seat size that would be considered safe for everyone. This would be the start to solving the cramped travel on a plane and would be helpful to plus-size travelers who are already doing everything they can to not encroach on their neighbors.

And while I think it's a little troubling that the government has to intervene to fix this, we already know that given the opportunity, we can't count on the airlines to do right by its passengers. For instance, let's take a return trip with Bridget home from vacation.

And while I think it's a little troubling that the government has to intervene to fix this, we already know that given the opportunity, we can't count on the airlines to do right by its passengers. For instance, let's take a return trip with Bridget home from vacation.

And while I think it's a little troubling that the government has to intervene to fix this, we already know that given the opportunity, we can't count on the airlines to do right by its passengers. For instance, let's take a return trip with Bridget home from vacation.

Bridget has flown on Southwest Airlines over 50 times and had never used their customer of size policy. But after her incident with the flight attendant, she didn't want to take any chances. Here's Andrea Sachs again with the policy details.

Bridget has flown on Southwest Airlines over 50 times and had never used their customer of size policy. But after her incident with the flight attendant, she didn't want to take any chances. Here's Andrea Sachs again with the policy details.

Bridget has flown on Southwest Airlines over 50 times and had never used their customer of size policy. But after her incident with the flight attendant, she didn't want to take any chances. Here's Andrea Sachs again with the policy details.

You also get priority boarding, which is a nice perk when you want to have maximum control of where you're sitting. You do have to pay for the second seat. You receive the refund after you travel, or you have to risk asking at the gate before boarding and have to hope there's room to do it. Bridget paid the extra money and did it online.

You also get priority boarding, which is a nice perk when you want to have maximum control of where you're sitting. You do have to pay for the second seat. You receive the refund after you travel, or you have to risk asking at the gate before boarding and have to hope there's room to do it. Bridget paid the extra money and did it online.