Air Travel

Which Plane Seats Are Safest?

When choosing your plane seat, there are a number of things you might consider. Do I want a window or the aisle? Should I pay more for extra legroom? Most people don’t want to think about the possibility of a crash, but if you were unfortunate enough to be involved in one, which seat is safest?

Looking at reports from the National Transportation Safety Board, Popular Mechanics came to the conclusion that booking a place in the rear cabin offers the highest rate of survival. Of the 20 crashes (each of which involved both fatalities and survivors) they investigated, those sitting in the back had a 69 percent chance of staying alive, compared to a less favorable 49 percent in business class.

Description

This chart shows survival rates in commercial jet crashes, by seat position.

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Countries and regions with the highest number of fatal civil airliner accidents from 1945 through February 28, 2022
Ranking of the 20 deadliest airplane accidents worldwide 2022, by number of fatalities
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Aircraft types with the largest number of casualties per aircraft (current as at August 2011)
Airlines with the highest number of airplane accidents worldwide in 2023
World ranking of the safest airlines to fly based on the risk index in 2023 (in percent)
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What cabin class did you travel in the last time you flew?

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