Lori Bassani, president, Association of Professional Flight Attendants said during a meeting with Congress that sitting in cramped airplane seats is akin to “torture.” She made the comments during a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee congressional hearing about the strains placed on passengers due to the shrinking aircraft seat sizes.

“We find that the seats are not only getting smaller, but there’s no padding on them anymore. It is a torture chamber for our customers and for us, that also fly on our own airlines,” Bassani told Congress.

“People are having a hard enough time … getting in and out in a normal process, but in an evacuation, it’s going to be almost impossible,” Bassani said.

She also claimed during the State of Aviation Safety hearing that the current seat pitch regulations do not allow passengers to assume the recommended brace position for emergencies. Bassani’s testimony is intended to force the Federal Aviation Administration to review standards and evacuation procedures.

“The truth is that many passengers are older, larger, and in many cases have less mobility,” Bassani said. “Passengers look to us for reassurance in these difficult times. Along with our flight deck, we want to know and be able to communicate to the traveling public that we have, and will continue to have, the safest aviation system in the world.”