[Truth29]

Why is there a sudden spat of these incidents or is it only that the media is reporting them, I wonder?

[RightFighter]

The airlines are steadily reducing legroom. It’s gone from 34 inches to as little as 26 inches on some flights. The airlines know they’ve created a problem, which is evident by the fact that they are beginning to install seats that don’t recline at all.

[pierrem15]

Seat pitch: the airlines have slowly been reducing the spacing between rows to the point that a normal sized person's knees are only a couple of inches away from the seat in front of them, plus the general unpleasantness of airport "security," increased overbooking, the normalization of flight delays, etc.

Flying is now like taking a city bus with wings (and less seat space).