Airline seat squeeze raises health and safety concerns

By Victoria Bryan BERLIN (Reuters) - Airlines are packing ever more seats into economy class to protect profit margins from falling ticket prices, prompting concerns over health and safety from travelers and crew. "If you're a dog, you have very specific rules, but if you're a human being there are no specific rules as to what is humane," Charlie Leocha, the head of consumer group Travelers United, told a U.S. government advisory committee examining the issue in Washington D.C. this week. Average ticket prices are expected to fall by 5 percent this year, according to industry body IATA, while airlines are expected to make a their best net profit margin in five years, albeit at just 3.2 percent. AIR RAGE The lack of space has triggered more outbreaks of air rage, Julie Frederick from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants told the Washington D.C. hearing of the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections.

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