US: Fliers are bigger, seats are smaller: Consumer groups say airline safety tests are outdated

A coalition of consumer groups that has questioned the safety of the nation’s increasingly crowded airline cabins and shrinking seats is calling federal safety tests scheduled for next month outdated. With airlines squeezing smaller seats in each cabin, federal regulations adopted last year required the FAA to study whether the size of airlines seats should be regulated. Tests, scheduled over a 12-day period next month, are an effort to gauge the safety of today’s tighter seats and cramped cabins. But the consumer groups, including the National Consumers League and Consumer Federation of America, wrote to the heads of the FAA and the DoT Monday, saying that the upcoming tests are outdated and don’t reflect the reality of most commercial flights today. <br/>