What Is The Safest Place On The Plane?
What Is The Safest Place On The Plane?
I have traveled by plane dozens of times and never once wondered what would be the best place I could stay, but I never thought of trying to find out. Precisely because I had some experiences, depending on where I was, I thought to share them all with you, and maybe it will help you choose the perfect place. Over time I stayed in almost the entire plane and experienced how it is to travel both in front, in the middle of the aircraft, and the rear, at the edge, between two passengers or in the window.
The front seats
When you are in front, you get to see all the passengers going to the toilet. For some reason, people tend to go in the direction of the plane, rather than both front and back toilets. On top of that, you will also hear the flight attendants talking and prepping your food and your drinks. On the other hand, you are one of the firsts going out, but your flight is picked up by a bus that is not going to make any difference because you will wait in the bus for the rest of the passengers.
If you get the first seat or you are behind a curtain, you have the advantage of not having anyone in front of you, taking some of your space, by declining their seat. However, you will not have the benefit of storing your small hand luggage under the seat in front of you.
The places in the middle of the plane
The disadvantage of being on the wing area is that you don't get to see much on the window if you get a window seat. During the night, that is not a big deal, but during the day, it's helpful to daydream while seeing other planes passing by to different destinations. But this is the area where it is quiet, and you don't feel the turbulence as much as anywhere else in the plane. Sometimes, you can also end up in the middle of the plane asking for a window seat, but not getting any window, as some planes are designed this way.
The seats in the back of the plane
You are close to the toilets, which can be a plus as not many people come in the end here but can be a big minus if, for some reason, the ventilation is not proper, and the smells reach you. Another advantage can sometimes be that you get the rear door to open, and you get out of the plane super-fast; otherwise, you will be one of the last people getting off the plane. However, they are considered the safest places but take into account that the backs of the seats in the last row do not fold.
The window seats
You have the advantage of the view. You can admire the widow, the mountains, the cities. The disadvantages are that you need to bother two passengers to get to the toilet and also that you need to wear more sun protection. However, it is the best place to sleep, for longer flights because you lean on the window. At the same time, nobody will wake you up to go to the toilet.
The middle seat, between the passengers
This seems to be the worst place. You have no intimacy at all. You have a stranger on both your left and your right! If friends or family does not accompany you, it's the wrong place. Imagine this scenario – the person on the window seat needs to continually go to the toilet, and the person on the aisle is leaning towards you while falling asleep. You don't want to experience that, do you? Also, it can happen that both passengers to use the armrests of your seat (although the label says that the middle one has priority, only the others already have support), and you end up just sitting with your hands in your lap.
The aisle seats
You have more freedom here. If you are an overweight person, this is your place, and you have more space. You also have quick access to the toilet and exit. It is also the perfect place for children or the mother who holds the child in her arms. Children are quite agitated, they have to move a little or go to the toilet more often. The disadvantage is that everyone is always around you, depending on where you are on the plane.
The emergency door seats
These are the most spacious places, they offer the most room for spreading legs, plus you are close to the exit in the event of a disaster, but you must help other passengers to get out if the pilot requests so or in case of an emergency.
What is the safest place on the plane?
According to a study (conducted in 2007 by Popular Mechanics magazine, confirmed by recent studies), the safest place would be the one behind the plane.
The safety of a place would decrease as you approach the front of the plane, as in the image below. The explanation is straightforward: the plane falls into "muzzle," not "bottom," and if it breaks in two, generally, it breaks from the middle.
It is also worth remembering that if you check-in faster, if the seats are not allocated automatically when booking the ticket, you have the chance to get a place with the person you are traveling with, during the last hours of check-in. While if you wait until the last minute, you take what remains, not to mention the disadvantaged situation of waiting for the registration at the airport.
In practice, the situation of changing places with other passengers is also encountered so that relatives or friends can stay together. Still, in the event of an unwanted accident, identification is more challenging to do, because the lists of passengers are made on the seats assigned. One by one, wherever you are, you have advantages and disadvantages. It is worth choosing your place according to what you like and what you want, taking into account, however, the criteria of safety and comfort. And remember that flying by plane remains one of the safest modes of transportation.
What I do in general, to be sure I get a good seat, I use the app - SeatGuru which based on your flight number and the type of plane can tell you which is the best seat to book. The app uses several algorithms to calculate the best seat, hence, until now, every time I used I was happy and relaxed.
What places do you prefer on the plane?
Interesting read as well