Why do Airplane Seats Have to be Upright for Takeoff and Landing?
Most airline regulations have a safety purpose behind them. Safety is the reason airplane seats must be upright for takeoff and landing. Airplane seats are meant to recline for passenger comfort. They allow the passenger to nap or sit more comfortably. This is especially important on a longer flight.
Most airline regulations have a safety purpose behind them. Safety is the reason airplane seats must be upright for takeoff and landing. Airplane seats are meant to recline for passenger comfort. They allow the passenger to nap or sit more comfortably. This is especially important on a longer flight. A primary purpose for upright airplane seats is ease of egress, or exiting, from the plane. In a non-emergency situation, deplaning would be a much longer and more inconvenient process if passengers had to nearly climb over seat backs in order to get to the aisles of the aircraft. The economy classes in most aircraft have an average seat pitch (the space between seats in a row) of about 31 inches (78.7 centimeters). This is a tight fit with upright airplane seats. It is easy to imagine how small the space becomes when a seat back intrudes into the already narrow area.
