The internet is going crazy over the “Cheek Splitter 9000” which looks like a new frontier in how airlines make passengers uncomfortable onboard. But it’s not – instead, it’s a long-standing quirk of aviation safety.
Everyone is always a little bit shocked by row 15 on the Japan Airlines Boeing 737-800 operating domestic flights. It’s a row for two people instead of three.
I’ve been on a lot of planes around the world but this was a first.
by
u/themoldyone in
aviation
Often you might see seats taken out of service, but this one is permanently out of service with a wedge in the middle so nobody sits there – it’s a custom seat blocker cushion meant to permanently deactive the seat, not to mark it as unusable for a specific flight.
On these domestic 737-800s, row 15 is the first row of economy. For the aisle seat there’s no proper bulkhead or seat in front. And that’s treated as a safet hazard for any passenger that might be seated there. And you can’t just remove the seat, or else you’d recreate the same problem for the passenger in that seat in the row behind. So they keep the seat there (effectively as a bulkhead) deactivate it.
- Tape or a placard might be ignored. Nobody is going to sit on this.
- A permanent cushion is less of a hassle tha constantly checking, replacing tape.
- This is clearly deliberate rather than signaling deferred maintenance
Most people seem to think this is a seat awaiting repair. And I like people calling this the “
A premium airline like Delta Air Lines could offer this as a discounted seat for accommodating two three-year-old children.
I really hope that the airline knows enough not to sell that seat.
Does it… uh… you know…
That seat looks like a midevil torture device.
Back in the saddle again!
Actually, the adjoining seats could be “premium” seats for those with a classic “American figure” – you know, the ones who tend to overflow into the middle seat when sitting in the window or aisle seat… Otherwise known as umm, having extra large, oversized, carry-on weight.
I took a look at the LOPA. While the port side of Y is A-B-C in all other rows, row 15 is A-C- blocked seat. So, a pax having 15C might think they have an aisle seat. Imagine arriving thinking that is your seat. For those not looking it up, domestic 738s on JAL have a 2-3 class J in front, so the blocked seat is the one that gets bumped everytime someone makes the turn as the aisle “moves” left.
Batteries not included!
This seems pointless. I often find myself in 5B on Delta’s ERJ170s which puts my legs directly in the first aisle with the aisle turning left at that seat. 5B is the first row or Comfort Plus behind First Class. The absence of a bulkhead or seat in front of me has zero impact on safety and I get unlimited leg room.
@This comes to mind — Port side? They got flyin’ boats in Columbus? Maybe it’s a CMH-homeport thing.
becasue entitled ( or illiterate, interchangeable) passengers don’t accept “do not sit here ” as applying to them, so a form of device to stop them needs to be used.
A couple of young Japanese women could comfortably fit on either side of the hump. They are often tiny.
Can you *please* hire a proofreader? It’s so hard to read these because there are so many mistakes.
What happened, Gary? You used the wrong words in a few places, and I hope you didn’t work too hard on however much of your article you cut off at the end.