FAA testing whether airplane seats are too close together for safe evacuation
The Federal Aviation Administration will test whether airplane seats are too packed together to rapidly evacuate passengers, Deputy Administrator Dan Elwell told members of Congress during a hearing Thursday.
"Americans are getting bigger and seat size is important but it has to be looked at in the context of safety," Elwell said according to Reuters. "We are going to get you an answer on seat pitch."
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The testing will use 720 individuals and take place over 12 days in November, Elwell said.
The size and spacing of airplane seats isn't regulated — but the amount of time it takes airlines to evacuate passengers is. Airlines must be able to evacuate passengers within 90 seconds.
Right now, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines have some of the most tightly packed seats. Those airlines' "seat pitch," or distance from one seat back to the next, is 28 inches in coach, according to Reuters. That's compared to a 31-inch average for other mainline economy seats.
In July 2018, the FAA rejected the idea of setting minimum standards for airlines seats and legroom as a safety measure. But Congress was determined to require the FAA to do so.
In October 2018, Congress passed a law requiring the FAA to create minimum seat standards for pitch, width and length for passenger safety in a year.
Meanwhile in Japan, passengers on Japan Airlines will be able to tell where babies will be seated on the plane when selecting seats in advance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.