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read someplace a long time ago that rear-facing seats in planes are safer than front-facing seats, but airlines didn't think pax would like that.
by fnord77 9y ago
read someplace a long time ago that rear-facing seats in planes are safer than front-facing seats, but airlines didn't think pax would like that.
- generalh0rse 9y agoDefinitely safer, but it would require seat manufacturers and aircraft interiors to re-design all of their products. This is probably part of the "passengers won't like it" excuse (lobby?). An aft-facing seat back would be very different structurally from a forward-facing seat back, the former absorbing impact load from a face slamming into it (current seat backs are designed to crumple/absorb load in a crash). When it comes down to it, a three point seat belt is probably cheaper to integrate on all economy seats if the FAA starts requiring improved passenger safety, as opposed to throwing years of crash test research, engineering, and products out the window and starting from scratch. The industry is pretty entrenched in forward-facing seating.
- mikeash 9y agoI believe the same is true in cars and busses. People just don’t like traveling backwards if they have the choice.
- rosege 9y agowas hoping someone mentioned this - am always a bit jealous of the crew in their back facing seats. Looks a bit safer to me.