FAA flooded with complaints over shrinking airline seats: "Torture"

When it comes to the ever-shrinking size of airline seats and leg room, the flying public has a lot to say. In the three months since the Federal Aviation Administration asked for public feedback on airline seat sizes, the agency was flooded with 26,000 submissions ahead of Tuesday's deadline to send a comment.

One telling detail: the word "torture" was used by more than 200 commenters to decry the lack of personal space on planes. 

The FAA, which currently has no rules for seat dimensions, had asked for public input about whether standards are needed to ensure safe evacuation in case of an emergency. In response, thousands of passengers complained not only of the physical stress of being squeezed into smaller spaces, but aired doubts about whether they could quickly leave their seats in an emergency.