Statistically speaking, a plane is the safest mode of transportation. While plane crashes are spectacularly deadly, they happen very rarely. A lot more people have fatal accidents in cars, buses, trains and ships. Even Superman said so after he saved a plane from crashing.

However, it’s always best to know about all the safety related steps on a plane. One of the critical things to know is the safest place to sit on a plane. Not just in the case of surviving a crash, but also in the post COVID-19 pandemic world. Let’s get started.

Safest Place To Sit On A Plane: All You Need To Know

Which is the safest place to sit on a plane?

The chances of dying when you travel by plane are 1 in 1.2 million and, according to the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States, 95.7% of those who suffer a plane crash survive.

While the statistics are in our favor, there are ways to increase the chances of getting out of a plane crash alive.

According to research conducted by both Time magazine and the University of Greenwich in England, those sitting in the back of the plane have a greater chance of surviving an accident.

Generally, airplanes tend to crash head-on, and their rear area is usually left intact. The seats in the middle of the aircraft are also safer, but they don’t outperform those in the front by much.

Those who travel in economy class will be more uncomfortable, but also safer, due to the fact that the first or executive class seats are usually forward or, on the second floor, also in the front area of ​​the plane.

How important are landing and taking off when it comes to plane safety?

If the plane you’re traveling in crashes, being near an emergency exit will always help, and if you choose an aisle seat instead of a window, your chances are higher, but there are also other things to keep in mind. mind if you are concerned about your safety.

Ben Sherwood , author of the book The Survivors Club – The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life (The Club of survivors Secrets and Science that can save your life), the first three minutes of the flight and, and last eight are in which 80% of accidents are concentrated, so it is worth being awake and alert during take-off and close to landing. A lot of people tend to stay asleep until the plane lands and if you are one of them, it’s best to break that habit.

In addition, in the event of an accident, it is vital to get out of the plane as quickly as possible, since the vast majority of deaths are not caused by the crash, but by the fire or explosion that can occur later.

Professor Ed Galea from the University of Greenwich says that the first 90 seconds are decisive when it comes to sealing your luck, so try to leave quickly, but calmly, and never try to carry luggage with you.

The statistics are in our favor when it comes to traveling by plane, even if we suffer an accident, but it never hurts to know how to further improve our chances of being unharmed or with minor injuries from a plane crash, taking only an excellent story to recount on a dinner with friends.

Which is the safest place to sit on a plane to stay safe from COVID?

According to a 2018 study conducted by Emory University, Atlanta, USA, on the “Behaviors, movements and transmission of respiratory diseases through droplets that are spread during the flights of transcontinental airlines”, infectious disease is unlikely to spread more than one metre away from the infected passenger.

After collecting 229 environmental samples on 10 flights, the study determined that passengers in window seats had the lowest risk of exposure to an airborne disease.

Passengers in window seats had the least risk of contagion. Logically those sitting next to a sick person, in the front or back row are at the greatest risk. For the rest of the passengers, the probability of infection is less than three percent.

But not only that, the study also confirms that the movement of passengers and crew can help with the transmission of COVID. Those who get up the most from their seats are more likely to be contagious. People on the window seat usually get up less often and don’t come in close contact with many other co-passengers.

The people in the seats of the aisle have a higher chance of coming into contact with infected passengers. So the best way to prevent the virus is to stay seated in your seat.

To avoid infection, good hand hygiene is recommended, especially because the small drops of saliva can spread the virus not only through the air, but also because they are found on trays, TV screens and in airplane seats, places that are not thoroughly cleaned.