Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a member of the House Transportation
and Infrastructure Subcommittee, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R.- Ill.) will once
again propose legislation to establish minimum seat sizes on commercial
aircraft when Congress convenes for its new session in January.
The Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act would also direct
the FAA to establish a minimum distance between rows.
"The time to examine the safety implications of smaller
airplane seats is now, not after some future tragedy," Cohen said in
prepared remarks. "Planes need to be capable of rapid evacuation in case
of emergency, yet appropriate testing has not been conducted by the FAA on all
of today's smaller seats. In addition, doctors have warned that deep vein
thrombosis can afflict passengers who don't move their legs during longer
flights."
According to the announcement, the average distance between
rows of seats, known in the industry as pitch, has dropped from 35 inches
before airline deregulation in the 1970s to 31 inches today, and average seat
width has shrunk from 18 inches to 16.5 inches. Airlines have tightened
configurations in order to fit more seats on a plane, thereby boosting revenue.
A similar measure that Cohen and Kinzinger introduced last
year as an amendment to an FAA reauthorization bill didn't make it out of the
House. In addition, the Senate last year rejected an effort by incoming
minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to set minimum standards for aircraft
seat width and pitch.
Congress must once again pass FAA reauthorization
legislation in 2017.