Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act

To require the Federal Aviation Administration to establish evacuation standards for transport category airplanes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act 2. Evacuation standards for transport category airplanes (a) Rulemaking Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue a final rule establishing evacuation standards for transport category airplanes, as described in part 25 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations. (b) Considerations (1) In general In issuing the final rule under subsection (a), the Administrator shall consider factors that include— (A) the ability of passengers of different ages (including infants, children, and senior citizens) to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (B) the ability of passengers of different heights and weights to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (C) the ability of passengers with disabilities to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (D) the ability of passengers who cannot speak, have difficulty speaking, use synthetic speech, or are non-vocal or non-verbal to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (E) the ability of passengers who do not speak English to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (F) the impact of the presence of carry-on luggage or personal items (such as a purse, briefcase, laptop, or backpack) on the ability of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (G) the impact of seat size, seat pitch, and aisle width on the ability of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (H) the impact of seats and other obstacles in the pathway to the exit opening from the nearest aisle on the ability of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (I) with respect to aircraft with parallel longitudinal aisles, the impact of seat pods or other seating configurations that block access between such aisles within a cabin on the ability of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (J) the impact of passenger load (the number of passengers relative to the number of seats on board) on the ability of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (K) the impact of service animals (as defined in sections 35.104 and 36.104 of title 28, Code of Federal Regulations) on the ability of passengers (including such service animals and their handlers) to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; (L) the impact of smoke, darkness, or other factors that diminish visibility in the aircraft cabin on the ability of passengers to safely and efficiently evacuate a transport category airplane; and (M) any other factor determined appropriate by the Administrator. (2) Passengers with disabilities defined For purposes of this subsection, the term passengers with disabilities (A) means any qualified individual with a disability, as defined in section 382.3 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations; and (B) includes any passengers— (i) with a physical impairment, such as passengers who are blind, deaf, nonambulatory, have limited mobility, or require a wheelchair, walker, cane, brace, prosthetic, or other mobility aid; (ii) whose physical impairment requires the use of a medical device to assist with mobility, such as a portable oxygen concentrator; or (iii) with an intellectual, developmental or mental impairment.

Summary: Emergency Vacating of Aircraft Cabin Act This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue a final rule establishing evacuation standards for transport category airplanes. In issuing the rule, the FAA must consider the impact of certain factors on the safe and efficient evacuation of an airplane. These factors include the ability of passengers of different ages (e.g., infants, children, and senior citizens); the ability of passengers with disabilities; the ability of passengers who do not speak English; and seat size, seat pitch, and aisle width.