60 Minutes · Lawmakers concerned about reduced flight attendant staffing, evacuation timing

1. 1. Members of Congress are demanding answers from the FAA regarding delayed airplane evacuation testing and concerns about reduced flight attendant staffing.
2. 2. Senators Duckworth and Baldwin are particularly concerned about minimum flight attendant staffing levels on wide-body, dual-aisle airplanes.
3. 3. Lawmakers and flight attendant unions advocate for a minimum of one flight attendant per exit door, contrasting with the current FAA standard of one attendant per 50 passengers.
4. 4. The FAA's 2019 evacuation testing was heavily criticized by the DOT Inspector General and lawmakers for using unrealistic, simulated scenarios.
5. 5. Congress mandated new, more realistic evacuation testing in the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, but these tests remain incomplete.
6. 6. The 90-second evacuation benchmark is critical because it guarantees the highest likelihood of survival in the event of a post-crash fire.