Which seat is the safest on an aeroplane? ‘Experts’ on airline websites often claim one seat is as safe as the next, but a survey undertaken by Popular Mechanics says otherwise.
The Popular Mechanics survey considered every commercial jet crash in the USA since 1971 and collected its data. It found that passengers near the tail of a plane are about 40 per cent more likely to survive a crash than those in the first few rows, while seats behind the wings, not over them, were the safer. Perhaps not surprisingly, choosing an aisle seat gives you the best chance of getting out during an evacuation.
Overall, according to the study, the rear seats have the best survival rate during a crash, with a 69 per cent chance of getting out alive. The over-wing section had a 56 per cent survival rate, and first or business class section (the first 15 per cent of the plane) had an average survival rate of 49 per cent.
Will this influence which seat you choose next time you fly?
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