--- title: Where Is the Safest Place to Sit on a Plane? Experts Answer description: While some may prioritize leg-room when it comes to air travel, others may think a little more deeply about their seat selection. canonical: https://time.com/7294087/the-safest-place-to-sit-on-a-plane-according-to-experts/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-06-13T19:46:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:04.014Z og:title: Where Is the Safest Place to Sit on a Plane? Experts Answer og:description: While some prioritize leg-room when it comes to air travel, others may think a little more about their seat selection. og:url: https://time.com/7294087/the-safest-place-to-sit-on-a-plane-according-to-experts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt48fbba8ffab75bbf/6998c7821500fbe111aa65b1/GettyImages-1475077852.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5430 og:image:height: 3054 og:image:alt: Airplane Aisle with View Of People Sitting on Their Seats og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Where Is the Safest Place to Sit on a Plane? Experts Answer twitter:description: While some prioritize leg-room when it comes to air travel, others may think a little more about their seat selection. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt48fbba8ffab75bbf/6998c7821500fbe111aa65b1/GettyImages-1475077852.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Safest Place to Sit on a Plane, According to Experts > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Worth Your Time: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Worth Your Time is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more. Worth Your Time is a curated guide to the culture worth knowing, from the biggest conversations of the moment to the books, shows, ideas and discoveries worth your attention. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays to 40,000 subscribers as of August 2026. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Air India's Lone Survivor Says He Can't Believe He Got Out Alive [Watch (HLS stream): Air India's Lone Survivor Says He Can't Believe He Got Out Alive](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6ZSFzrOa.m3u8) (1:36)  _Published 2025-06-13. An Air India passenger plane heading to London, England, carrying 242 people (including 12 crew members), crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday. While the authorities initially said no one made it out of the crash alive, the world was stunned to learn that there was, in fact, a sole survivor._  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Jun 13, 2025 7:46 PM UTC  An airplane aisle providing a view of passengers in their seats. An airplane aisle providing a view of passengers in their seats.Constantine Johnny—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Jun 13, 2025 7:46 PM UTC It’s the age-old question of passengers—where is the safest place one can sit on a plane? While people often prioritize leg-room or proximity to the bathroom when it comes to[ air travel](https://time.com/7292452/jetzero-low-carbon-air-travel/), others may think a little more deeply when it comes to their seat selection. This rings especially true when you consider how one man—Viswashkumar Ramesh—[was the sole survivor of an Air India flight](https://time.com/7293469/india-london-bound-airplane-crash-boeing-fatalities/) crash that resulted in the deaths of the other 241 people on board. Ramesh, who was travelling with his brother, was seated in 11a on the journey from Ahmedabad to London. His survival has reignited conversations about air travel and seat selections. The general consensus has traditionally been that sitting in the middle or at the rear of a plane is statistically safer. A 2017 [National Transportation Safety Board study](https://www.statista.com/chart/9805/which-plane-seats-are-safest/) that investigated 20 plane crashes since 1971 found that those sitting in the back of the plane had a higher chance of staying alive than those in the front. Additionally, those placed nearby the wing also had a better chances of survival. Meanwhile, a study conducted by TIME in [2015](https://time.com/3934663/safest-seat-airplane/) found that the middle seats in the back of the aircraft were those with the lowest fatality rates, the worst-faring seats were on the aisle in the middle-third of the cabin. **Read More**: [_What to Know About the Air India Crash and the ‘Miracle’ of Its Sole Survivor_](https://time.com/7293469/india-london-bound-airplane-crash-boeing-fatalities/) But how does that account for Ramesh sitting near the front of the plane and being the sole survivor? ## **Here's what experts have to say about the safest place to sit on a plane** Steve Wright, a former systems and software engineer in the commercial aerospace industry and a former associate professor of avionics and aircraft systems at UWE Bristol, has often pondered on the "safest seat" question. For Wright, the Air India survival story was unique for a number of reasons. He says that although sitting towards the front of an aircraft can typically be “dodgy” in terms of survival chances, the accident in India was “atypical.” “When an aircraft goes \[down\], it’s usually nose first, which is, of course, why seat 11a would be \[among\] the first to \[feel the impact\],” Wright says. But the Air India flight “sunk” into the ground with “the nose up.” Wright attributes Ramesh's survival to being “ironically, partly _because_ he was at the front.” Whereas in the traditional instances where a plane dives nose first, the front of the airplane is known to act "[as a shock absorber](https://www.travelandleisure.com/what-is-the-safest-seat-on-a-plane-8398877)," according to John Hansman, an aeronautics and astronautics professor at MIT. Wright says usually the safest place inside the aircraft is near the wings of the plane, where there is more “structural support” to protect a passenger in case of an emergency. Jim Braucle, an aviation attorney with Motley Rice Law firm, says that from diagrams he has seen, Ramesh’s seat was right next to an emergency exit and in front of the plane’s wing. This seat, next to a window, was just behind the business class section on the Boeing 787. “Structurally on the airplane, the strongest part is obviously where the wings come in,” Braucle says. “And he was close to an exit—I know he didn't exit because he was behind some rubble, but those areas are reinforced so that, in the case of an accident, the door doesn't get deformed, so people can escape.” In an exit row, Braucle says, the additional space provided could save lives, as well. “As stuff starts collapsing and people fall back in their seats... I know it's not much, but I think those inches count,” he notes. In agreement, Wright points out that being near an emergency exit is pertinent, considering most emergencies he knows of are not related to crashes, but rather the result of incidents on the tarmac. “The most likely danger you will \[face\] on an aircraft is on the tarmac when something has gone wrong, potentially a fire,” Wright says. “It kind of doesn't matter which exit it is, in that sense, but essentially, you want to get off that plane as quickly as possible.” **Read More**: [_Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Has a Long History of Safety Concerns_](https://time.com/7293945/boeing-787-dreamliner-long-history-safety-concerns/) ## **How else can you attempt to have a safe flight?** Wright also argues that though life vests are mandated on aircrafts, smoke hoods should also be included, to protect passengers in the event of an emergency. Mary Schiavo, an aviation lawyer and the former Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, says that after years of working with people who have survived plane crashes—and after writing a book on how to fly safe—she now always attempts to get a seat in the exit row. She also makes an effort to have a smoke hood as part of her carry-on, and tries to wear long sleeves and pants. “The people I’ve worked with who have had to fight their way out of plane crashes have said they wish they had more protection on,” she explains. Schiavo always makes sure she knows how to open the emergency door of the plane, taking into account that different aircraft may have varying emergency exit mechanisms. If she cannot get a seat in an exit row, she tries to get a seat in the immediate rows behind, since her studies have shown that in the event of an emergency, passengers will push _forward_ towards an exit. “If you do sit in an exit row, you need to take it seriously,” Schiavo says, emphasizing that being able to reach an exit or find your way through a crack during an emergency can make all the difference. Every airplane emergency, though, unfolds differently. If Ramesh’s story shows anything, it is that survival in a plane crash can be less about where one sits, and more about how exactly the plane crashes—something no passenger can predict. Should a door get ripped off mid-flight, the exit row might not be as safe of a place as previously described. What’s safest in this instance is different from what would be safest in an emergency water landing. This is why the [Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advises](https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly%5Fsafe/information) passengers to listen to their crew and pilot, and in the case of an emergency, locate and utilize exit rows. Passengers should also take the time to review and familiarize themselves with the passenger safety cards before takeoff. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7294087/the-safest-place-to-sit-on-a-plane-according-to-experts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7294087/the-safest-place-to-sit-on-a-plane-according-to-experts/"},"headline":"The Safest Place to Sit on a Plane, According to Experts","datePublished":"2025-06-13T19:46:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:45:04.014Z","description":"While some may prioritize leg-room when it comes to air travel, others may think a little more deeply about their seat selection.","url":"https://time.com/7294087/the-safest-place-to-sit-on-a-plane-according-to-experts/","keywords":["Living","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt48fbba8ffab75bbf/6998c7821500fbe111aa65b1/GettyImages-1475077852.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt48fbba8ffab75bbf/6998c7821500fbe111aa65b1/GettyImages-1475077852.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Airplane Aisle with View Of People Sitting on Their Seats","caption":"Airplane Aisle with View Of People Sitting on Their Seats","creditText":"Constantine Johnny—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7294087/the-safest-place-to-sit-on-a-plane-according-to-experts/","name":"The Safest Place to Sit on a Plane, According to Experts"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Air India's Lone Survivor Says He Can't Believe He Got Out Alive","description":"An Air India passenger plane heading to London, England, carrying 242 people (including 12 crew members), crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday. 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