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Passengers board a Delta Airlines flight. (Photo: Tim Loehrke / USA TODAY)
The government is taking another step toward developing minimum seat size regulations for airline flights after the House passes the Federal Aviation Administration's Reauthorization Act.
The law would extend FAA funding for another five years, but would also include provisions that would affect air travelers.
Among them: the bill directs the FAA to set standards for the size of airline seats, under the so-called SEAT (Seat Egress in Air Travel). width of the seat and space between the seats.
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It is not clear, however, what rules the agency could adopt. Passenger rights groups undoubtedly hope that the FAA could impose requirements requiring airlines to add more space to seats that only have 29 inches between the rows. However, it is possible that the FAA rules will end up codifying the tightest seating arrangements already available to US airlines.
The FAA bill is also remarkable for what is not included.
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Legislators have abandoned a plan backed by airlines to privatize the national air traffic control system. And congressional negotiators have dropped a proposal to crack down on "unreasonable" airline fees.
For the moment, representatives who have contributed to the introduction of the SEAT law have discussed with optimism what might happen to the legislation.
"Security should not lose sight of, especially a shrunken seat, the profits of airlines," said representative Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) in a statement. "Tight seats on planes are a security issue and will be taken seriously. The SEAT law will ensure that the reduction of seats in aircraft is evaluated in the interest of the safety of the flying public. "
But the FAA's legislation passed by the house includes other provisions. It also prohibits carriers from unintentionally removing passengers who have already boarded, a rule that echoes the United incident in April 2017. The legislation also requires airlines to create better communication protocols to inform customers flight delays.
Other details in the legislation: The Ministry of Transportation would be responsible for defining rules for animals for assistance and emotional support in aircraft, including "reasonable steps to ensure that pets are not claimed as assistance animals ". Live animals would not be transported in overheads.
In addition, passengers would not be allowed to make voice calls in flight. Currently, no American airline allows it, but the bill would prevent that.
The Senate has yet to vote on legislation before it can sign it. But the leaders of both houses are waiting for the Senate to approve what the House has passed before the expiry of September 30 of the current FAA legislation.
The Associated Press documents have been included in this report.
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