November 4, 2022 3:00 a.m.

This week U.S. Senator Ron Wyden joined with five colleagues to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to act to prevent further shrinking of plane seat sizes and comprehensively ensure passenger safety in Oregon and nationwide.

A letter the senators wrote to FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen said, “we urge the FAA to comprehensively review the safety factors impacting seat pitch, width and length, and to ensure that such safety factors take into account the entirety of the American public – including children, senior citizens,  individuals with disabilities and others”. The group said to prevent further harm to travelers in the interim, the FAA should immediately issue a moratorium prohibiting additional reduction in seat size.

A release from Wyden said airlines have been shrinking seat sizes since at least the 1990s – with seat pitch decreasing from 32 to 28 inches and seat width decreasing from 19 to as little as 16 inches.

The senators said that recent studies which concluded that seat width and pitch did not appear to impact passenger safety in case of evacuation, did not accurately account for the entirety of the flying public. All participants ranged from 18 to 64 years old and were able-bodied. The letter said, “This is simply not representative of the population”.

Lawmakers also urged the FAA to take into account all impacts of seat size on flight safety as it works to finalize its rule, including preventing head and leg injuries in case of emergencies, and avoiding blood clots on long haul flights.

Along with Wyden, five other senators signed onto the letter.

The full release is linked: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-colleagues-urge-faa-action-to-prevent-shrinking-plane-seat-sizes-ensure-passenger-safety