Seats facing backwards?!

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By: Deahna - 17th April 2000 at 18:27

About 10 years ago I flew from Hannover (Germany) to London Gatwick. On the flight back we got seats facing backwards! The plane wasn't full, so we soon found places facing forward and forgot about it.

Now I'm looking for the type of plane that was used. I only know it was a jetliner, not a turbo-prop. It was a narrow-body, either three and three or three and two seats. I can't even remember the airline, it might have been DAN AIR, but I'm not sure.

Can anyone help?

Deahna

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By: nicholas - 17th May 2000 at 18:17 - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

RE: Seats facing backwards?!

Hi, Dan Air certainly did have reverse facing seats but I think longer than ten years ago. I went on their 727 to Athens in July 75 which had some reverse seats and also, I think, on one of their Comet 4's to Newcastle in the early 70's.

Incidentally, the RAF VC 10's were configured back facing according to an Army friend who told me that the RAF believed this to much safer in the event of a problem.

Anyway, the wheel goes round with the new flat beds in BA, half of which reverse face...

By: Anonymous - 18th May 2000 at 12:55 - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

RE: Seats facing backwards?!

Dear Deahna:

You probably flew with a BAC-111 which do have backward seats.
Cyprus AW operating BAC111-500 on their leg from
Larnaca to Athens had backward seats also.
Regards
Christian

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By: Matthew_1 - 26th May 2000 at 13:59 - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

RE: Seats facing backwards?!

Concerning backward-facing seats in present-day aircraft, aren't the starboard Row 1 seats in any Dash8 backward?
Further, has anyone heard feedback from backward-flying business class travellers on those new BA beds? The BA blurb claims it'll be well received, but...

By: Anonymous - 17th June 2000 at 08:17 - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

RE: Seats facing backwards?!

Just seen this query. Many aircraft had rear facing seats in part of the cabin for various reasons.

I don't recall Dan Air having a service to Hannover, though it may have been a charter flight

Many Comets had rearward facing seats at the front as did Trident 3s, BAC1-11s some Trident 1Es and 2s had rearward facing seats at the midships escape positions and , going further back, in the early sixties the V951 Vanguards had rear facing seats at the back of the aircraft in the last row but one.

When travelling on a Trident 3, shorthaul in Europe, with a thin, fullsize case, I always used to try to get the rear facing seat at the front because there was a large gap behind it and you could stow your suitcase there and avoid waiting at the other end. As for comfort, motion and other differences to sitting facing front - I don't think there are any, apart from a distinct feeling of looking downhill if the takeoff is particularly steep.

The RAF for years specified that all its transports had rearward facing seats and any chartered aircraft had to be so fitted.

The trooping contracts to Germany run by BUA, British Caledonian and others had aircraft permanently assigned with rearward facing seats as, whatever the RAF's views on the benefits for survivability, airline marketing departments felt passengers wanted to travel facing forwards.

By: Anonymous - 29th June 2000 at 21:36 - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

RE: Seats facing backwards?!

Either ATR-42 or ATR-72s have too!!!!

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By: OOSRC - 18th July 2000 at 21:11 - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

RE: Seats facing backwards?!

Last year I flew in a BAC One-Eleven of British World Airlines which happened to have a number of backwards facing seats. Dan-Air London had also BAC One-Eleven aircraft and since this was a short haul flight you probably flew in a BAC One-Eleven.

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By: Andyc22 - 24th October 2021 at 12:13

Yes, the first time I ever flew I flew facing backwards, on a Dan Air BAC One-Eleven and that was in 1993 from Gatwick to Palma in Mallorca