FAA Not Responsible for Airplane Seat Size

Not our job!

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is not responsible for the size of an airline seat or the distance between rows, says a federal appeals court ruling in Washington, D.C., according to Travel Weekly.

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The ruling is in response to a suit by the advocacy group Flyers Rights, which thought it had found a provision in the 2018 Reauthorization Act that called for the FAA to set seat minimums.

The three-judge panel ruled that wasn’t the case, however.

"To be sure, many airline seats are uncomfortably small. That is why some passengers pay for wider seats and extra legroom," the opinion reads. "But it is not 'clear and indisputable' that airline seats have become dangerously small. Unless they are dangerously small, seat-size regulations are not necessary for the safety of passengers."

Flyers Rights president Paul Hudson disputed that in a statement following the release of the ruling.

"Congress made it clear that minimum seat standards are needed now," he said. "The FAA used a narrow definition of safety that included emergency evacuations but excluded passenger health, crash safety and personal privacy."