【1979 Archives】

Source：Unobstructed Information Network Editor：Science Time：2025-06-25 23:53:00

In this week's airlines-keep-disappointing-us news979 Archives the Federal Aviation Administration has found itself at the center of "the Case of the Incredible Shrinking Airline Seat."

SEE ALSO: Airplane Seats Are About to Get Smaller and Even More Uncomfortable

A court last week ruled that the FAA needs to address the case of ever-shrinking airplane seats, brought into the spotlight by a petition that cites safety concerns, according to the New York Times. The petition, filed in 2015 by the airline consumer organization Flyers Rights, alleged that smaller seat spacing can inhibit passengers' abilities to safely evacuate a plane in the case of emergencies.

This may seem like common sense to you, but the FAA didn't seem to think so, because it initially denied the petition. According to the government body responsible for regulating this stuff, seat spacing didn't affect passengers' ability to evacuate planes.

That's okay, because they got shut down for it in a stunningly hilarious way.

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Judge Patricia A. Millet in her decision wrote: "To support that conclusion, the Administration pointed to (at best) off-point studies and undisclosed tests using unknown parameters. That type of vaporous record will not do—the Administrative Procedure Act requires reasoned decision making grounded in actual evidence."

At best off-point? Vaporous record? Ouch.

Now the FAA has to go back to an issue that never seems to die down and figure out how it's going to address the situation. In a statement to theNew York Times, the FAA said it is "studying the ruling carefully and any potential actions we may take to address the court’s findings."

In its petition, Flyers Rights noted that the amount of space between seats in each row has shrank an average of four inches, from 35 inches to 31 inches.

Flyers Rights v Faa Opinion 7-28-2017 by

Four inches may not seem like much, but it's significant considering other data cited by the organization, which shows the average American has grown in both weight and height since the 1960s.

Alas, none of this means the FAA has to make seats any bigger. They simply have to reconsider the issue, and maybe, just maybe, they'll act on it. Looking at all of the bad press surrounding airlines lately, that seems like a wise choice.

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