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Current rules say airlines must be able to evacuate passengers
within 90 seconds but do not set seat size requirements. The FAA
uses tests to determine if shrinking seat sizes and seat pitch
on airplanes are safe.
Senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin argue the FAA
simulation tests do not include real-life conditions and are
proposing the Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin (EVAC) Act.
"It appalled me that it's not a realistic test. They are using
groups of able-bodied people," Duckworth, who is a double
amputee, told Reuters, noting that FAA tests have just 60
passengers.
"The current standards are not realistic and if we're going to
test than we need to have realistic parameters."
In 2018, Congress directed FAA to issue regulations establishing
minimum dimensions for passenger seats "necessary for the safety
of passengers" within a year but it has not done so.
The FAA released an aircraft cabin evacuation study in March
said Thursday it is reviewing 26,000 public comments it received
to determine "whether current seat size and spacing affect
passenger evacuation."·
The agency noted Congress requires it to follow ethical research
guidelines for human testing, limiting use of individuals with
disabilities, children and senior citizens.
C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the commercial pilot who safely
landed an Airbus A320 on New York's Hudson River in 2009 after
hitting a flock of geese, told Reuters he supports the bill.
"As one of the few people who has had to command the evacuation
of an airliner after an emergency landing, I have seen firsthand
how challenging it can be," Sullenberger said, saying it
"improves passenger and crew safety by making aircraft
evacuation standards better reflect the reality of emergency
evacuations, and will save lives when seconds count."
Two airline trade groups say the FAA should not write
regulations setting minimum seating dimensions, arguing the
agency "has thoroughly studied seat sizes and concluded that
current passenger dimensions and configurations are safe."
Last month, six other Democratic senators urged the FAA to bar
airlines from further shrinking airplane seats. In September, a
U.S. appeals court heard arguments from a flyer advocacy group
urging it to order the FAA to set minimum seat dimensions on
passenger airplanes.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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