FAA refuses to regulate more space for airline passengers

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that even though America's waistline is expanding, airlines are free to continue to make diets. was responding to a court challenge from the FlyersRights group, which argued that the current headquarters-seat ratio measures could adversely affect the evacuation of passengers in the event of an emergency.

"The FAA has no evidence that there is an immediate safety problem requiring regulation at this time. FlyersRights' lawyer, Andrew Applebaum, told NBC News: "Over the past 20 years, the average American passenger has become bigger and bigger, making it more difficult for passengers to evacuate. from the plane. "

The group seeks to" establish a moratorium on narrowing the size of additional seats "on passenger aircraft, Applebaum said. The economy-class space from the record to the record has been reduced from 35 inches to 28 inches on some aircraft.

The FAA does not regulate these dimensions, but it has established a 90 second standard for emergency evacuation with half of the issues locked.

In response to the legal challenge of FlyersRights, aircraft manufacturers submitted to the court evacuation exercise videos that show that packaged planes are emptied within the limit of 90 seconds. However, the group of travelers says that some of these exercises were conducted decades ago when the average American was smaller. "We observed that the passengers, the test subjects, were younger and smaller than the average American."

The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that 70 percent of adults in the United States United are now overweight or obese.

The manufacturers' imagery, FlyersRights claims, is unrealistic, does not show the entire evacuation procedure, and does not represent anyone searching for hand luggage, which has increased in number as baggage fees swept the industry.

In an affidavit submitted to court, FAA safety engineer Jeffrey Gardlin, replicated the landings of the last three years also prove that passengers – overweight or otherwise – can escape safely

The "Miracle on the Hudson", US Airways Flight 1549 in January 2009 – Hollywood immortalized Tom Hanks' movie "Sully" – was presented as an e Modern example of "an efficient and timely evacuation", according to a conclusion of the National Transportation and Safety Board. The 155 people on board fled.

The size of the exit gate, which is regulated, is one of the reasons why passengers usually exit during modern emergencies, Gardlin said. But he also argued that the size of a passenger does not make a crucial difference in exit times.

The FAA's decision was a response to the US Court of Appeals in Washington, which ordered the agency to reconsider adjusting the size of the seat and the passenger room. The court challenge had taken the form of a settlement petition by FlyersRights, which said it could appeal the FAA's decision.

Meanwhile, the defense group says it is writing a letter in response to the FAA's position

. A bill passed by the House of Representatives in April would require the FAA to establish minimum measures for passenger rooms, but it would leave specific numbers to the agency. He is currently weighed by the Senate.

"Lives are at stake here," Applebaum said. "We need to make sure that the FAA and the manufacturers are testing large scale demonstrations."