Economy-class passengers were looking forward to the possibility of some relief against ever-shrinking legroom, but the U.S. Senate rejected a proposal last month from Senator Chuck Schumer to require the Federal Aviation Administration to set limits on seat space. Airlines would have also been required to list their seat dimensions on their websites. The rules would only have applied to American carriers.

The suggested changes were part of an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill. It was rejected with a vote of 42 to 54, reports Travel Weekly.

This wasn’t the first such proposal: Congressman Steven Cohen proposed similar restrictions in February, but his attempt was also blocked. Cohen claimed legroom dropped from 35 inches in the 1970s to around 31 inches today. Airline seat widths, he said, have shrunk from 18 inches to 16.5 inches since airlines were deregulated.

As airlines continue to toy with seating arrangements and legroom, it remains to be seen what will happen without such regulations — and whether passengers will have any power to fight back.