Tired of shrinking airline seats? The FAA is asking for passengers' input

Airline passengers have been crammed into seats that have shrunk to as little as 16 inches wide in the past 30 years. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration wants to identify the minimum seat spacing necessary to safely evacuate an airliner in 90 seconds — and is asking for public feedback on the size and safety of airline seats.

Seat width is down as much as four inches over the last 30 years. Seat pitch has shrunk from about 35 inches to 31 and in some cases as little as 28 inches — allowing airlines to add more seats they can then sell.

The group FlyersRights estimate only about 25% of passengers, one in four, actually fit in those seats.