( CNN ) -- You 're not imagining it : Airline seats are generally getting smaller . But while many airlines have been slimming down their seats over the past few decades , we 've been bulking up . According to the World Health Organization , the global prevalence of obesity has doubled since 1980 . `` Seats are getting smaller and smaller as airlines look to squeeze revenue from their economy seats , '' noted Ranga Natarajan , the senior product manager at SeatGuru , a website that rates the best and worst seats on nearly every plane in the industry . In the 1960s , a seat width of 17 inches was standard , and for a period in the 1990s and early 2000s , that grew to 18.5 inches with the introduction of the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 . Recently , however , airlines been filling planes to a capacity that Natarajan calls `` historic proportions . '' `` Airlines used to fly at 70 % capacity . Now , that number is closer to 80 to 85 % , which means every middle seat is occupied , so the elbow room just is n't there , '' he said . 500-pound man denied seat on plane . Airbus ' view : 'Make 'em wider ! ' To fit in the extra seat , passengers are now facing a width that is 17 inches and in some cases as narrow as 16 inches , a state of affairs that has pushed airplane manufacturer Airbus to launch a new marketing campaign called `` it 's the seat . '' In a call to action to make 18 inches the industry standard , Airbus partnered with the London Sleep Center . They tested a small sample of six adults and found that passenger sleep quality improved 53 % in the larger seats . `` If the aviation industry does n't take a stand right now , then we risk jeopardizing passenger comfort into 2045 and beyond , '' said Kevin Keniston , Airbus ' head of passenger comfort , in the company 's press materials . People 's growing proportions are n't the only issue , Airbus spokeswoman Ruth Nye said . `` In the early days of jet travel , people were flying less frequently and over shorter distances . Also , due to a lower load factor , many had empty seats next to them , '' she said , adding that all of Airbus ' long-haul aircraft have been designed to accommodate 18-inch seats . Ask the airlines . Ultimately , though , seat proportions are dictated by the airlines , not the plane manufacturers . Unsurprisingly , Airbus competitor Boeing is unimpressed with its rival 's call to arms . `` Airlines ask us for the flexibility to offer a great experience for passengers in a way that makes economic sense for the airline and economic sense for their passengers , '' Boeing spokeswoman Kate Bergman said . `` What they have n't asked for is an arbitrary , self-serving seat-width standard . '' As for whether Airbus ' campaign will make any difference in years to come , it 's too early to tell , but many are n't convinced . `` The current trend will continue : Airlines will try to make the optimal use of the space available in an aircraft due to the fact that the competition is very strong , '' said Mark Hiller , chief executive officer of Recaro Aircraft Seating , adding that airlines have n't changed their orders . Making less feel like more . In the past couple of years , Recaro has been charged with the difficult task of making seats that are both more cramped and more comfortable . To achieve this effect , the company has slimmed down armrests to give more room for passengers ' hips and repositioned the literature pocket above the tray table to increase legroom . Child-free zones on planes . Good or bad ? Mainly , though , Recaro has replaced traditional foam with a netting material that adheres more to the passenger 's body . The result is that seats are thinner , so even if pitch is reduced , it feels as if there 's more legroom . What you can do . According to Natarajan , the best way to eke out some more space in the air is to do what the airlines are banking you 'll do : upgrade . Short of that , he notes , airlines treat different model numbers differently , and it 's worth looking up the model number and seat width on SeatGuru before you book . `` We 've seen complaints that a number of airlines have started putting 10 seats across on the 777 . One customer wrote that he flew one leg of a journey on a 777 in a 17-inch seat and flew back in an 18-inch on an A380 . 'It felt like an upgrade , ' he wrote . ''
Airline seats are increasing from the once standard 18 inches to 22 inches across . Meanwhile , passengers are getting heavier , and flights are getting more crammed . Boeing is calling on the industry to make seats wider .