Two Senators Urge FAA To Conduct Realistic Safety Evacuation Testing

Senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin expressed concerns of safe evacuation in an emergency

Two Democratic Senators want the Biden administration to look into whether airplane seats are too close together and if being cramped could lead to safety hazards.

The investigation would require the FAA to conduct new airplane cabin evacuation tests with more realistic conditions, and issue standards that include the size of and space between seats.

Senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin expressed concerns of safe evacuation in an emergency, but also mentioned the issue of seat size being uncomfortable for coach travelers.

In a 2019 evacuation test the mock cabins used 60 ‘passengers’ between the ages of 18 and 60 but did not include senior citizens, or people with mobility disabilities or carry-on luggage, which prompted the idea for the FAA to re-conduct testing under more practical pretenses.

The agency has not yet commented on the matter.