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Can anyone who has direct knowledge of the rule please answer?
I never understood this strict rule. Is it for safety in the event of a crash? If so, what difference is it going to make given the seatback can only move a few inches? I've seen flight attendents aggressively enforce this rule and have even threatened to have passengers removed (if its prior to take off), or arrested (if prior to landing). If there's a logical reason for strictly enforcing this rule then I would like to know why.
Probably so the people behind you can get out of THEIR seats after an emergency landing.
Might also be because you are less likely to slide out of your seatbelt (either toward the floor or toward the ceiling) if you are sitting bolt upright, than if you are leaning back.
Takeoff and landing is when most emergencies occur.
And during emergencies, airplanes can go thru some VERY strange maneuvers (such as rolling completely over, or pointing straight up or straight down), that can put strange forces on passengers. You can slide right out from under your seat belt.
That's why, if an impact or emergency landing is imminent, the stewardesses might ask everyone to make sure their seat belts are fastened and then bend forward to put their heads between their legs. No way will you get thrown out of your seat if you're doing that.
Might also be so that, if the plane gets slammed to a stop in an emergency landing and the passengers all whip forward (held by their seat belts), they don't break their necks by hitting their foreheads against a leaned-back seat in front of them.
Probably so the people behind you can get out of THEIR seats after an emergency landing.
Might also be because you are less likely to slide out of your seatbelt (either toward the floor or toward the ceiling) if you are sitting bolt upright, than if you are leaning back.
Takeoff and landing is when most emergencies occur.
And during emergencies, airplanes can go thru some VERY strange maneuvers (such as rolling completely over, or pointing straight up or straight down), that can put strange forces on passengers. You can slide right out from under your seat belt.
That's why, if an impact or emergency landing is imminent, the stewardesses might ask everyone to make sure their seat belts are fastened and then bend forward to put their heads between their legs. No way will you get thrown out of your seat if you're doing that.
Might also be so that, if the plane gets slammed to a stop in an emergency landing and the passengers all whip forward (held by their seat belts), they don't break their necks by hitting their foreheads against a leaned-back seat in front of them.
This is probably the only logical reason for which I can see why this rule is implemented. As for bracing for impact or in the event of a crash, I really dont see how moving your seatback up 4" and bending over is going to save you from an airplane slamming into something at a few hundred miles per hour.
IPADS are a known quantity, the innumerable possibilities of what the public might carry on not so much.
So I have to tune off my IPAD?
And yes I do agree with you on what maybe carried on a plane....
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