A video of a woman on a plane who ended up in an unusual seat she wasn't prepared for has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by Jess Smith (@jesssmith_36) and has amassed over 11.9 million views since it was shared on July 20. The footage shows the woman seated on a plane, glancing towards the camera. A note overlaid reads: "When you book row 1 as a treat but it turns into you facing the ENTIRE PLANE."
The camera then pans to her view ahead to show rows of seats facing the woman. A caption shared with the post simply reads: "Never going to recover."More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Travel
It certainly feels unusual, but rear-facing seats have been used by some companies, such as Southwest Airlines. Back in 2021, the year of the airline's 50th anniversary, the carrier shared an image of its throwback rear-facing seats on X, formerly Twitter.
Backward-facing seats have been offered more often in business class by some airlines, such United, American Airlines and British Airways.
Why Do Planes Have Rear-Facing Seats?
Rear-facing seats on an aircraft can offer a good use of space, allowing the plane to board more passengers.
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Such seats may also be safer for flyers. Richard Snyder, a retired research scientist who studied crash protection and transportation safety at the University of Michigan, told the Smithsonian magazine in October 2009 that "the basis for providing aft-facing seating impact crash protection is substantial and supported by over half a century of experience."
An article in the December 1952 edition of Naval Aviation News, noted that "passengers in Navy transport planes have 10-fold better chances of coming out of crashes alive, thanks to backward-facing seats," which were being installed on their new planes at the time, according to the Smithsonian.
The article says the navy decided to install these seats after "testing showed they gave passengers much more protection for the entire back, neck, head and parts of the arms and legs in sudden stoppages."
So, why aren't more airlines using backward-facing seats on their planes? The reasons are likely due to the costs they ultimately entail.
"In a crash, these seats will take more strain from the passenger than the more common forward-facing seats and thus need more support from the floor below," Dan Boland, an Airbus A350 pilot and the founder of holidayers.com, told the Reader's Digest in May 2022. He noted that this "in turn adds more weight to the aircraft, and more weight always burns more fuel."
'My Nightmare'
Users on TikTok were sympathetic towards the passenger's dilemma in the viral clip.
Tay wrote: "That's my nightmare" and @wren449 said: "Omg this is actually my worst fear."
"Having to lock in for 8+ hours is wild," noted @simonlw17.
OstronsKebab said: "I'd honestly leave" and @cmxx00 wrote: "I would cry tbh."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
A file photo of a woman in a plane seat looking out the window. A video of a passenger who ended up with an unusual seat in the first row of a plane has gone...A file photo of a woman in a plane seat looking out the window. A video of a passenger who ended up with an unusual seat in the first row of a plane has gone viral on TikTok.iStock / Getty Images PlusDo you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
