The Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act

DALLAS — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is being compelled by two U.S. senators to revise its aircraft evacuation standards in order to reflect the realities of flight better.

In accordance with current regulations, airlines must be able to evacuate passengers in 90 seconds, but seat size requirements are not specified. The FAA uses tests to evaluate the safety of decreasing airplane seat sizes and seat pitch.

The Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin (EVAC) Act is the proposal from the senators who contend that the FAA simulation tests do not reflect real-world situations.

Congress gave the FAA a year to issue regulations defining the minimum dimensions for aircraft seats needed for the safety of passengers, but it has not yet done so.

According to Reuters, the FAA said today that it was reviewing 26,000 public comments it received in response to an aircraft cabin evacuation study it released in March to see whether current seat size and spacing affected passenger evacuation.

The aviation authority noted that Congress mandates that it adhere to ethical research standards for human testing, restricting the use of people with disabilities, children, and elderly people.

Comments from both Sides

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."

However, senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin said about the current testing, "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 then we need to have realistic parameters."

Shrinking Seating

Since the 1990s, the width of airplane seats has shrunk from 18 inches to about 16 inches, and the distance between seat backs has decreased from 35 inches to sometimes less than 28 inches, according to FlyersRights, a passenger advocacy group.

Some problems with shrinking seat pitch and seat size: