Economy isn’t the only part of the cabin where airlines are trying to squish in more seats. Business class is also starting to swell up, thanks to new layouts mixing in rear-facing seats.
American Airlines, British Airways, Etihad and United have all added backwards seats onto some of their planes. It’s a concept that’s downright awkward — trading in the modest privacy of a seatback for unavoidable eye contact and a front-row viewing of someone else’s drooling slumber.
The Points Guy (TPG) recently compared all four airlines’ rear-facing seating arrangements, which vary slightly in terms of privacy. British Airways has the most rear-facing seats of any other carrier, particularly in its long-haul fleet. Promo photos show friends and lovers sipping champagne, napping and eating next to each other — admittedly, it does seem like a pretty intimate and cozy way to pass a few hours. Unless, of course, you’re sitting across from your boss or the guy with the stinky feet.
According to TPG, most rear-facing seats have the same dimensions and amenities as their traditional counterparts, so at least there’s no legroom lost, although American Airlines is a bit tighter than the others. Their rear-facing seats have all the perks like USB ports and adapters, but some don’t have adjustable armrests, and others are missing storage space for carry-ons like purses and laptops. On the other side, Etihad seems to have one of the best layouts with a staggered setup that creates a bit more seclusion.
If there’s any silver lining to all of this, aviation experts have suggested that rear-facing seats could be safer. And business travelers will probably just have to get used the trend, seeing as turning around seats turns up airline profits.
Let’s just hope that these layouts stay reasonable, and get nowhere close to the mother of all malicious seating plans, The Economy Class Hexagon, which calls for slightly offset rear-facing seats that would force crawling overtop of other passengers to reach the window seat.