forward facing seats

[airgeezer]

Is there a technical reason as to why seats face forwards in passenger aircraft?

[Cornish Jack]

Airgeezer
A long time since this one was last mooted ! The answer is NO ! Or perhaps, to qualify that, there is no reason why it can't be done. Auntie Mary's Flying Club used to insist that all it's pax aircraft had rearward facing seats - possibly still do. The non-safety involved parts of airline management will have you believe that there will be a 'negative passenger reaction' to such an arrangement and will not countenance it but it's more likely down to the slight cost increase of the fittings.
What are the advantages of rearward facing? Whole body support in the event of rapid deceleration rather than lap straps that are OK for vertical stresses but not much use for horizontal ones. The whole thing has been aired often enough but I doubt there are enough words in any language to convince the bean counters.

[Pdub]

On a similar note what about 3 point inertia reel seat belts? Always find it a bit strange when getting into an aircraft, supposedly a technological marvel, and put on a seatbelt that could have come out of my 1969 Mini. Now I had an accident in that car and the seatbelt did its job, ie didn't break, but I did headbutt the steering wheel.

[SFly]

I don't know about you Brits but over here in USA on the domestics, on some of the older jets they don't all face forward!!! The FAA has had a field day about it and so the newer 737s etc have been changed. They call it "party seating" or something when some of the seats face a different direction and others don't. But it's a ratio of about 20/1 as far as rearward/forward seating goes. Sorry I can't get technical, but it makes my head hurt!! :) :)

[boeingbuff]

I have heard two other reasons on the pro forward facing seats, 1 people are more prone to be motion sick when sitting backward.
And to the three or four point harness.. They simply weight to much. if all you are requiored by law to have is a lap belt, why then add the weight!
BB

[ELondonPax]

BA have introduced rearwards facing seats in the new Club World configuration. Half the seats face forward, half face rearward. It felt a touch unusual to hurtle down the runway the wrong way, but no doubt if I did it often enough I’d get used to it. It didn’t give me any problems with motion sickness.
Though I presume (and I must admit to no inside information so maybe I should not make such a presumption) that the BA decision has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with the ability to squeeze more seats in with the top to tail configuration.