Why don passenger seats on aircraft face backwards?
Air crash investigators have found that flight stewards in rear-facing seats have suffered less severe injuries in accidents than forward-facing passengers. This is because the energy from the body as it decelerates rapidly in a crash is dispersed evenly through the seatback, rather than concentrated on the seatbelt, which cuts into a person facing forward. Although rear-facing seats are probably safer, airlines have resisted them, largely because they fear passengers will find the idea unacceptable. British Airways has installed rear-facing seats in its Club World cabins; Southwest Airlines in the US experimented with the idea in economy class, but reverted to conventional forward-facing seats.
Related Questions
- An airport does not have an AOC but currently has scheduled service by aircraft with 10-30 passenger seats. Can the airport refuse to seek an AOC under the new Part 139?
- An airport does not have an AOC but currently has scheduled service by aircraft with 10–30 passenger seats. Can the airport refuse to seek an AOC under the new Part 139?
- Is there a commercial passenger aircraft that seats more passengers than a 747?
