Sen. Richard Blumenthal is pushing for improved comfort levels on commercial flights via legislative amendments addressing in-flight lavatories, seating and air quality as part of new legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In his position on the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Connecticut Democrat authored two amendments that were adopted by the committee: one directing the FAA to study the impact on the decreasing size of lavatories on airlines and one requiring the FAA to educate airline crew and passengers on how to identify and report contaminated in-flight air. Blumenthal has also pushed for an FAA study on the reduced sizes of passenger seating, as well as measures addressing flight crew fatigue and efforts to prevent the reduction in the time spent for airline co-pilot training.
“There are times when we put our lives in the trust of other people,” Blumenthal stated. “None is more solemn and serious than when we get in an airplane. We really have to be able to trust those pilots.”