Originally Posted by
bocastephen
Actually it has been tested - the safest position is laying down, or being in a reclining position, as the body can handle far more sudden G forces in a reclining position vs sitting upright - however - with everyone's seat in a reclined or flat position, getting out of the aircraft quickly and safely after the accident you survived by being in the reclining position, is infinitely more difficult for you and everyone else. The FAA decided that somewhat-reduced initial survival with everyone upright vs the chaos, injuries and death from trying to scramble over, under, around reclined seats, or being trapped in a damaged or burning aircraft, is the better option of the two.
Does the minuscule amount of recline availble in most UA 'Y' seats really make a difference?
Originally Posted by
s0ssos
I guess the problem with having 2 types of procedures (one first premium class,where you can lie flat, another for economy) is that it would just seem blatantly unfair and discriminatory. As in people up front can survive better than people in back.
Analyses of survivable crashes have consistently shown that the least popular seats on the plane (i.e., rear middles) are statistically the "safest" in a crash. As the old saying goes "How often do you hear about a plane backing into a mountainside?"