WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration would be required to set new minimum requirements for aircraft seats under legislation to be considered in the House this week, which could allow passengers to free themselves from legroom and restricted spaces.

Rules for seat width and legroom are part of a five-year extension of federal aviation programs announced Saturday by Republican and Democrat House and Senate Committee Leaders who oversee the country's air travel .

Congress must meet the deadline of September 30th for FAA programs to continue to function. The Senate will also have to pass the bill this week or both houses will have to pass a short-term extension.

The bill would prohibit the unintentional theft of passengers who have already boarded an airplane. But in keeping with the power of commercial airliners, lawmakers have refused to include language that would have prohibited airlines from imposing "unreasonable and proportionate" fees.

Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said lawmakers in both houses agreed that it was time to take action to "cut seats".

"Relief may soon be put in place for tired airline passengers facing smaller and smaller seats," said Nelson.

More: Is the addition of extra seats compromising safety?

In July, the FAA rejected the idea of ​​setting minimum standards for airline seats and legs as a safety measure. But Congress seems determined to ask the FAA to do so.

The space between the rows – measured from one point on a seat to the same point on the seat of the next row – has been shrinking for many years as airlines inject more seats into their aircraft. It was once commonly 34 or 35 inches and is now less than 30 inches on some planes.

Legislators have also included several provisions to address concerns over the increase in noise levels at airports caused by new flight paths. The bill would require the FAA to study the potential health effects of flight noise and the ability to modify existing departure procedures.

The bill would also require flight attendants to have a minimum of 10 hours of rest between shifts and require airlines to better communicate with customers during mass flight cancellations and groundings.

Senator John Thune, RS.D., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said that he expects the House and Senate to act quickly to send the draft in the office of the president.

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