Consumer Alert: Do cramped airplanes pose a safety risk?

Do cramped commercial airplanes pose a safety risk? Some experts seem to think so.

News 12 Staff

Oct 11, 2019, 9:48 PM

Updated 1,665 days ago

Share:

Anyone who has flown on a commercial airline recently will know that airplanes seem to be getting more crowded as airlines shrink seats and aisle space to fit in more passengers.
But do those cramped conditions pose a safety risk? Some experts say that it does.
“The statistics are pretty clear that most fatalities occur not because of impact on crash landings but because people cannot get out quickly enough,” says Paul Hudson with the nonprofit group Flyers Rights, a group that is calling on the government to regulate the size of airline seats.
“There’s a rule called the 90-second rule that says everyone has to be able to get out in that amount of time. There’s a big question whether that’s possible with shrinking seats and larger passengers,” Hudson says.
The Federal Aviation Administration appears to be taking notice. The agency will run tests next month to see if passengers can evacuate an airplane fast enough to meet the safety standards.
The study will simulate a real plane crash and the crew will have 90 seconds to get everyone off. But each time, half of the exits will be locked and the crew will not know which ones those are. The passengers will be volunteers of all ages, including children, senior citizens and possibly those with service animals.
But Flyers Rights says that it isn’t convinced that the FAA will take the testing seriously.
“Although I’m on the committee that’s studying the evacuation, I just found out about it and the details have been kept secret,” says Hudson.
Hudson’s group is also calling on the FAA to release the full test results and not just a summary.


More from News 12
1:55
Large fire at 2-story Bensonhurst building leaves home destroyed

Large fire at 2-story Bensonhurst building leaves home destroyed

2:13
Temperatures cool off heading into the weekend for NYC

Temperatures cool off heading into the weekend for NYC

1:59
Community members affected by Bushwick fire regroup, attempt to move forward

Community members affected by Bushwick fire regroup, attempt to move forward

1:41
New survey highlights challenges for migrants

New survey highlights challenges for migrants

1:55
PS 331 in Borough Park to be renamed in honor of slain Detective WenJian Liu

PS 331 in Borough Park to be renamed in honor of slain Detective WenJian Liu

0:43
2 City Council committees hold joint hearing on sexual harassment policies

2 City Council committees hold joint hearing on sexual harassment policies

4:14
'We lost something good'. FDNY says large fire destroys Bushwick supermarket, leaves 55 people homeless

'We lost something good'. FDNY says large fire destroys Bushwick supermarket, leaves 55 people homeless

Diocese of Brooklyn: 3 Catholic academies to close at the end of the school year

Diocese of Brooklyn: 3 Catholic academies to close at the end of the school year

2:03
New exhibit at Brooklyn Museum unveils new photos taken by Beatles' Paul McCartney

New exhibit at Brooklyn Museum unveils new photos taken by Beatles' Paul McCartney

0:32
NYPD: Suspect driver wanted for assaulting 59-year-old man in Williamsburg

NYPD: Suspect driver wanted for assaulting 59-year-old man in Williamsburg

0:23
Police: 2-car Prospect-Lefferts Gardens crash leaves person hospitalized

Police: 2-car Prospect-Lefferts Gardens crash leaves person hospitalized

0:36
Live Nation Concert Week offers $25 tickets to over 5,000 shows

Live Nation Concert Week offers $25 tickets to over 5,000 shows

2:22
Do you constantly reuse the same username and password? 6 steps to help safeguard your online accounts

Do you constantly reuse the same username and password? 6 steps to help safeguard your online accounts

1:27
Kingsboro Psychiatric Center workers demand their bosses get fired due to bullying, nepotism

Kingsboro Psychiatric Center workers demand their bosses get fired due to bullying, nepotism

1:53
Crowds gather again at Stony Brook University following night of 29 arrests during pro-Palestinian protest

Crowds gather again at Stony Brook University following night of 29 arrests during pro-Palestinian protest

1:51
RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

1:46
Tenants weigh in on possible rent hikes for rent-stabilized homes

Tenants weigh in on possible rent hikes for rent-stabilized homes

1:38
Parks Department held community input meetings over new construction of skate parks

Parks Department held community input meetings over new construction of skate parks

1:27
Power restored in Manhattan Beach following 18-wheeler truck crash

Power restored in Manhattan Beach following 18-wheeler truck crash