Where are the safest seats on an airplane?

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I spotted this story by Jordan Brock about finding the safest seat on an airplane while I was browsing this morning. Very handy information if you’re not only interested in flying but in continuing to breathe after the experience.

Jordan pointed me to a Popular Mechanics article citing research which tells us that sitting closer to the back of a plane is safer than being up the front in those big seats with the great service.

While the airlines and the safety authorities may want us to believe that each seat is as safe as every other seat, the evidence points to a higher likelihood of surviving in cattle class.

Passengers near the tail of a plane are about 40 percent more likely to survive a crash than those in the first few rows up front.

I’d have to admit that I’d prefer not to be in a plane crash at all but I now know that the airlines’ failure to upgrade me to first class on any of the flights I’ve been on is simply an expression of their respect for me and their desire to give me the greatest possible chance of surviving should one of the engines drop off somewhere between the serving of complimentary refreshments and the screening of the inflight movie.

The findings follow a study of every commercial jet crash in the United States, since 1971, that had both fatalities and survivors.

So would this information stop me from taking a first class or business class seat if I was offered one? Probably not, but if I was in one of the ‘good seats’ up the front and we started having problems on the flight, I might just slip back to economy and offer someone else the opportunity to enjoy a little luxury in their final moments.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Flying – Air Safety – Air Crashes

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