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Congressman Cohen to Offer SEAT Act as an Amendment to FAA Reauthorization Bill

June 23, 2017

Amendment would establish minimum seat sizes for safety and health of U.S. airline passengers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today announced that he would be offering the bipartisan, bicameral Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act (H.R. 1467/S.596) as an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill set to be considered before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday. Congress is working to renew authorization for the FAA with the current authority set to expire on September 30, 2017. The SEAT Act, introduced by Congressman Cohen and Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) earlier this year would establish a minimum seat size on commercial airlines as well as a minimum distance between rows of seats to protect the safety and health of airline passengers. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced an identical bill in the Senate.

"Shrinking seats on airplanes raise serious safety and health concerns for passengers, and it's time for the FAA to take action," said Congressman Cohen. "We must be certain that planes are capable of rapid evacuation in case of emergency as longstanding federal law requires. Emergency evacuation is a serious issue, as is the potential for air rage as tensions mount inside more tightly packed cabins. In addition, doctors have warned that deep vein thrombosis can afflict passengers who do not move their legs during longer flights. The safety and health of passengers must come before airline profits. I urge my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to support this amendment."

"With over 23,000 flights flying every day in the U.S., we must ensure standards are in place to provide safe air travel for passengers," said Congressman Kinzinger. "The SEAT Act will ensure standards for seat sizes large enough to guarantee effective passageways for emergency evacuation. I'm proud to support this important measure, with bipartisan and bicameral support, to make the frequency of air travel safer for everyone."

The average distance between rows of seats has dropped from 35 inches before airline deregulation in the 1970s to about 31 inches today. The average width of an airline seat has also shrunk from 18 inches to about 16 ½.

Previous press coverage of the SEAT Act can be found at: NY Times;Chicago Tribune; CBS Evening News; CBS Morning News; NBC's Today Show; Washington Post; USA Today; Washington Post; CNN