Congressman Cohen and Senator Blumenthal Introduce the Safe Seats for All Act

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), the Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut today introduced the Safe Seats for All Act, establishing an interim moratorium on the reduction of aircraft passenger seat sizes, widths and lengths until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) promulgates a final rule on the minimum dimensions necessary to ensure the health and safety of passengers. Their bill, the Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act, which became law in Section 577 of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018, directed the FAA to establish those minimum dimensions within one-year. Unfortunately, to date, after a public comment period that yielded more than 26,000 comments, including comments submitted by Representative Cohen and Senator Blumenthal, the FAA has yet to promulgate a final rule.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“I have been concerned with the FAA’s willingness to take seriously the SEAT Act’s rulemaking directive on seat sizes and aisle widths since it repeatedly missed the law’s original deadline and then used an unrepresentative sample of the flying public in making what it acknowledges was a deeply flawed study. Airline seat sizes have been shrinking as Americans have been growing. At the very least, we must ensure that airlines cannot continue to shrink seats until the FAA fulfills its congressionally mandated mission to determine what size is necessary to protect the health and safety of the flying public.”

Senator Blumenthal made the following statement:

“Airlines are shrinking seats and squeezing passengers to pad their profits. Travelers that use their hard-earned money to purchase tickets deserve a reasonable amount of space when they fly. Our legislation puts passenger health and safety first – requiring a minimum seat size, preventing airlines from further shrinking seats, and ensuring accountability for those that fail to comply.”

“Tight airline seats are much more than a discomfort and a financial rip-off,” said William J. McGee, Senior Fellow for Aviation at American Economic Liberties Project. “They're a health threat due to deep vein thrombosis. And they’re a safety threat during a life-and-death emergency evacuation. We applaud Rep. Cohen, Sen. Blumenthal for directing the FAA to finally correct this long-standing problem.”

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