Bigger Passengers in Shrinking Plane Seats Raise Safety Alarms

Cramped travelers and lawmakers on airplanes are trying to convince the Federal Aviation Administration that feeling squished is a safety risk.

“Overcrowding of the passenger cabin is the single largest threat to passengers’ health and safety,” Douglas Kidd, executive director of the National Association of Airline Passengers, told the agency Tuesday.

Kidd’s comment was one of more than 24,000 submitted in response to an FAA request for feedback on the minimum airplane seat dimensions needed so passengers can evacuate safely. The agency said it didn’t want to hear how seat size affects “passenger comfort or convenience.” Yet many who commented ...