Is it just you, or is it really getting more crowded in airplane cabins these days? Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows that you're not alone in feeling the squeeze, Nathan Hurst reports. The
load factor -- or number of filled seats -- reached more than 84% this summer, typically the busiest time for airlines.
For the airlines, increasing the number of passengers on board each
flight is a simple matter of balance-sheet survival. But the process of packing fliers into what some already think of as "flying sardine cans" also breeds horror stories of personal space
infringement, carry-on storage scuffles and battles over who gets the arm rest.
Analysts say the trend of packed planes isn't likely to reverse itself anytime soon. "Airlines are simply
meeting the consumer at the point where the low fares they demand can bring a meaningful profit for them," says Bill Swelbar, a research analyst at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Airline
Data Project.
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