GOP Senator, Um, Now Regrets His Vote Against Airplane Legroom Standards

Senator Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) might have some, um, regrets about voting down a recent bill (it was actually an amendment to a bill) that would have ended further reductions of airplane seat sizes. In case you haven’t flown lately, the seats have gotten so tight, even a child has a hard time using his/her laptop and sitting comfortably. The senator from Arizona demonstrated this perfectly in this hilarious tweet:

Okay, so perhaps my vote against this bill was a tad impetuous… pic.twitter.com/wsXy0H4ZJF

— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) April 8, 2016

The tweet got some even better responses:

@JeffFlake That’s what you get for being a knee-jerk conservative Republican. Now, about that Supreme Court vacancy… .

— Lee Cox (@legaleagle48) April 8, 2016

@JeffFlake @joshtpm And how much did the airline lobby pay for that vote?

— Il Volo Maui (@RickiAdoroIV) April 8, 2016

@JeffFlake #Republicans have a record of only voting for things that affect them personally. NOW you want more leg room. Typical.

— Desperada (@dsprada) April 8, 2016

@JeffFlake If more politicians were required to travel coach, then maybe they would have voted otherwise. No love for us commoners. 😩

— MsMenz (@IamMsRizzy) April 8, 2016

The amendment would have put a halt to reductions to seat size and pitch. According to the Washington Post, it would have “empowered the FAA to set new standards, in consultation with experts, for seat dimensions that maintain “the safety, health and comfort of passengers.”

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The amendment to a sprawling bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a moratorium in reductions to seat size and pitch (i.e., the space between rows of seats) and empowered the FAA to set new standards, in consultation with experts, for seat dimensions that maintain “the safety, health and comfort of passengers.”