Reason not to switch plane seats before takeoff revealed

It’s an act an aviation expert has warned not to do when on a flight and the reason why may surprise you.

An aviation expert has revealed the serious safety reasons why you should not switch seats on a flight before takeoff.

On the weekend a Melbourne man was tasered and dragged off a Jetstar flight by police after a dispute about changing seats escalated.

A Jetstar spokesman said under aviation guidelines, passengers must remain in their allocated seat for takeoff and landing.

Chrystal Zhang, an associate professor of aerospace engineering and aviation at RMIT University, explained to news.com.au these strict rules were in place because takeoff and landing is the most dangerous part of the flight.

She said a range of things could go wrong during this time such as a collision with another aircraft or a plane’s landing gear not opening properly.

“Generally speaking when the aircraft is getting ready for taking off and landing within the airport’s domain, it is the most dangerous phase of the flight,” she said. “That’s why there is a strict restriction that requires passengers must sit in their allocated seat with their safety belt fastened.”

Police were called to remove a Melbourne dad from a Jetstar flight after a dispute about changing seats. Picture: Australian Federal Police

Dr Zhang said one reason for this that people might not be aware of is because if something was to go wrong like a fatal crash, the names allocated to certain seats are used to identify passengers.

“In that circumstance, investigators need to identify the passengers, the bodies, all the remaining items etc. So it’s very important that kind of evidence exists,” she said.

She referenced an incident where a passenger had changed seats during a flight but did not return to their seat before landing.

“An accident happened and they couldn’t identify the passenger,” she said.

Passengers are told to stay in their allocated seats for takeoff so they can be identified if there is an accident and to ensure the aircraft is balanced. Picture: iStock

Another reason is that passengers are allocated to certain seats to ensure the weight on the aircraft is evenly distributed.

The payload of an aircraft is calculated before takeoff, which Dr Zhang explained “is really about the balance of the aircraft”.

It takes into consideration the weight and location of the cargo (like checked-in luggage) in the belly of the plane – but also the passengers on board.

“They have to make sure the passengers sitting on board the aircraft are also balanced, so they can’t just put all the passengers at the back or all at the front or just on one side, it has to be balanced,” she said.

Dr Zhang said it was important to note a flight’s cabin crew has the responsibility of safety management on board their aircraft, ensuring these calculations determined by other teams and all other regulations are met.