Flight attendant warns it's dangerous to recline your plane seat at take off

14 February 2023 , 14:17

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A flight attendant giving a safety talk on a plane (Image: Getty)

Passengers should not recline their seat when on planes - but only at certain times, according to a flight attendant.

Being able to lean back and relax during a flight is a key way of making what can be a stressful and lengthy feeling experience a little more bearable.

If you like to recline your seat, you'll know that at take-off and landing flight staff will urge you to return to the upright position, the Daily Record reports.

While having your chair slightly reclined might not seem like a big deal, one cabin crew worker has warned that doing so creates a huge safety risk.

TikToker @thevictorialeighproject recently explained to her 80,000 followers that a reclined seat may trap other passengers on board in the event of an emergency.

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She said: "I'm a flight attendant based in San Francisco and I'm gonna explain why you can't recline during take off.

"If at any point during take off or landing they needed to do an emergency landing and evacuation, there would be a huge problem if you left your seat reclined.

"Now it might not be a problem for you because you are going to have an easy way to get out of your row to an exit door.

"But the passenger sitting behind you and the row behind you will have a harder time because your seat is reclining into their row so they might not be able to exit.

"If you're thinking 'well that's not my problem I can get off just fine', imagine if the person sitting in front of you left their seat reclined.

"So do us a favour and bring your seat all the way to its full and upright and locked position for takeoff and landing. Have a great flight."

When it comes to safety, flight attendants have often shared their nuggets of wisdom on TikTok.

For those of us with a lingering childhood fear that the space under your bed may hide something or someone unpleasant, aviation pro Esther was on hand last week with some sage advice for when you're staying in a hotel.

The cabin crew member explained why passengers are asked to un-recline their chairs at points (Getty Images)

The cabin crew member, who flies for European airline KLM, explained that travellers should simply "throw a bottle under it".

If the bottle doesn't reappear on the other side of the bed, further investigation is needing to confirm whether there is indeed someone lurking there.

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If the bottle does pop out on the other side of the room, you can carry on as normal, confident that there is no intruder.

Esther has plenty of other pieces of advice for when you're staying in a hotel, something her jet-setting lifestyle regularly requires.

Lucy Farrell