"It is a big pet peeve of flyers, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there is a safety issue," said Stacey Zinke-McKee, a medical-research official at the Federal Aviation Administration facility in Oklahoma City where the tests are being conducted. Beginning next month, FAA researchers
1 / 4FAA Airplane EmergenciesFAA employees participate in a demonstration of an airline cabin filling with smoke, in a simulator at the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute in the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Oklahoma City. Federal researchers, using 720 volunteers in Oklahoma City, will test whether smaller seats and crowded rows slow down airline emergency evacuations.
Beginning next month, FAA researchers will recruit people from churches, universities and online to come up with a test group similar to the overall U.S. population. Sixty at a time, they will be seated in a simulator laid out like a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320, planes commonly used on domestic flights.
The average American adult is about 10 pounds heavier than just two decades ago, according to government figures, and airlines are squeezing more passengers into the economy cabin to make more room for high-paying customers in business class. That means tighter rows in the back of the plane.Story continuesAirlines"are cramming in more and more and more seats, closer and closer together. People are getting bigger," House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.
Consider also that more passengers carry bags on board, and hundreds of thousands of them bring an emotional-support animal too, and it stands to reason that it will take longer to get everybody out during an emergency.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
This test will tell you whether your personality suits having more or less choiceThere's a lot of research in consumer behavior that disputes the notion 'more is better.' It says many of us, when confronted with too many options, either make poor decisions or avoid decisions altogether. But not true for everyone.
Read more »
Every Outfit From Kate Middleton's Royal Tour of PakistanSee All of Kate Middleton's Pakistan Royal Tour Outfits, From a Mosque to Cricket
Read more »
Family of New Orleans TV anchor killed on assignment in crash sues plane makerThe family of a New Orleans television anchor who died on assignment in a small plane crash is suing the plane's owner and engine manufacturer.
Read more »
Final simulator tests for 737 MAX expected to begin in early NovemberFinal simulator tests for the 737 MAX are expected to begin next month -- a sign work to fix the plane's flight control software is nearing completion
Read more »
Chicago Teachers Are Going On StrikeThe strike will affect about 300,000 students in the country's third-largest school district.
Read more »