FAA Seeks Comments On Aircraft Seat Size

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Aug. 3, 2002, issued a Request for Comments (RFC) on the possible issuance of minimum aircraft seat size requirements for passenger aircraft. The FAA issued the RFC in order to comply with the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which, among other things, directed the FAA to solicit information about how such a requirement might be needed in the interest of passenger safety and might be required to ensure that an aircraft can be quickly and safely evacuated in the event of an emergency.

In the RFC,¹ the FAA emphasized that its query is directed to questions of safety and the ability to ensure that a broad range of passengers, including "children, people over 60, and individuals with disabilities" can be safely evacuated from the aircraft in the event of an emergency. The FAA specifically asked for comments on how seat width, seat pitch, seat length and other seat dimensions might affect passenger safety by delaying