CBS NEWS / November 26, 2019, 10:39 AM

FAA tests airplane seat size safety for first time, but some critics call experiments "a sham"

As airlines reduce seat sizes and pack more people onto planes, the Federal Aviation Administration has started tests aimed at setting a minimum standard for seats and the space between rows to ensure safety. But some say the tests are "nothing but a sham."

It took an order from Congress to get the FAA to do the testing and it's the first time it has looked at seat size, specifically, CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports. In a simulated cabin that can be filled with smoke and plunged into darkness, the FAA will try to determine at what point the size of seats and space between rows becomes a hazard to evacuating an airplane quickly.

"Is there an ideal amount of time to get everybody off an airplane?" Van Cleave asked.

"As quick as possible if there is an emergency," said Stacey Zinke-McKee with the FAA. "The queuing is usually not for people to get into the aisles, but actually to get out of the aircraft."

"Flyers might think their seats are too close, but that may not have any impact on safety at all?" Van Cleave asked.

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