#PaxEx Podcast banner

#PaxEx Podcast: Flyers Rights makes the case for seat size standards

Rotation

Welcome to Episode 50 of the #PaxEx Podcast. Our guest is Kendall Creighton, director of communications for consumer advocacy group Flyers Rights.

First, the Daily Beast has conducted an investigation into aircraft seat testing, and found that much of the data is woefully out of date. Flyers Rights has been tracking the seat safety and seat testing topic for some time. Kendall gives her thoughts on the findings of the Daily Beast report, and also highlights a separate report suggesting that the aircraft seat crunch is creating an environment ripe for sexual assault on board.

Next, Flyers Rights recently won a judicial victory, when the Federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered the FAA to reconsider its decision not to place a moratorium on further seat size reduction. This is a major coup for Flyers Rights, and could spur change in the passenger experience. Kendall talks to co-hosts Max Flight and Mary Kirby about the next steps, and why Flyers Rights is fighting for minimum seat pitch and seat width standards of 28 inches and 18 inches, respectively. Mary makes the case for why the FAA should be transparent about its test data.

Last but not least – and this is a topic that the Airplane Geeks podcast has been regularly addressing – a House bill that would privatize air traffic control has proven quite controversial within industry. Though the bill has garnered a lot of news headlines, The Seattle Times is reporting that the prospects of a bill passing the Senate now appear quite slim. Kendall explains Flyers Rights’ stand on the issue, and why the organization fears privatization could impact aviation safety.