Pax seat belts

[ExGrunt]

Query from a SLF.

I am a fairly frequent flyer and I as I am whiling away my time down the back I was looking at the seat belt arrangement and there seens to be a great deal of inconsistency in the arrangement of the seatbelt fastenings.

ie: some seats have the buckle on the left and others on the right.

I would have thought that it would be better from a safety point of view to have them all opening the same way, on the basis that some people struggle to open seatbelts in a panic.

Is there some reasoning behind the arrangement?

[chuzwuza]

Not knowing which airline you refer to, I can only answer for my previous and present employer. You may observe that they are arranged so that they cannot be fastened across an aisle. Believe me, if it is possible for a passenger to do so, they will at some point. You should find a belt with the 'tang' next to the aisle. Hope that helps. Feel free to tell me if I'm wrong guys.

[Skyjob]

More importantly, they are arranged so to not impede your rapid exit in case of an emergency.
Thus each side of the isle will have the same type fitted and in wide bodies the centre row has alternating types mid row.:ok:

[fruitloop]

No Buckle shall be fitted to a window or a aisle.

[clark y]

I thought it was for "right hand release" because the vast majority of the population is right handed and might help if you needed to undo it quickly.

[topgas]

Quite often I get a seat with the buckle part of the belt clipped on the wrong way, so there is a twist in the strap when the buckle is the right way round. I'm sure I've never discretely clipped it back in the right way!:)

[DaveReidUK]

Worth checking that the passenger in the adjacent seat doesn't also have a twist in his/her buckle belt. :O

[Carry0nLuggage]

I've found one side twisted quite often and found it clipped in the wrong way. Not good when it's the buckle side. :sad:

Once I found one side completely unclipped := so a quick tug on getting into my seat is part of my routine these days.

[ExGrunt]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies - I can see the sense in the no fastening across the aisle!

[Piltdown Man]

I believe belts are fitted so the the buckle is on the "aisle" side. This will allow someone in the aisle to pull on the buckle release to release the seat belt.

[DaveReidUK]

If I'm not mistaken, we seem now to have covered pretty well every possible combination of ways that seats belts are oriented. :O

It's tempting to conclude that there doesn't actually seem to be a standard, nor indeed any obvious need for one.

No Buckle shall be fitted to a window or a aisle.

Is that a quote from a regulation? If so, where would we find it?:

[OnRoute]

In some aircraft buckle tends to jam between wall and seat and therefore it is good not to have that part on the window side so that cabin tidy is faster to perform. Also the buckles may hit the trolleys if installed towards the aisle and that's not something that the cabin crew likes.

[DaveReidUK]

No Buckle shall be fitted to a window or a aisle.Is that a quote from a regulation? If so, where would we find it?:

I'll take that as a "No", then.

[eckhard]

A certain large UK airline recently refurbished the cabins of its narrow-body fleet. A captain on his first flight in a 'new' aircraft noticed that, after the passengers had left, the seat belts on the RHS of the aisle were all dangling 'buckle-side down' he noticed the cleaners knocking into them with their shins and indicating their annoyance. As he had never noticed this feature in a pre-refurbished cabin, he assumed that the belts had been incorrectly installed. He therefore contacted engineering, who told him that this installation was, in fact, correct. I'm not sure if the seatbelt design or length had changed.

Confusingly, I've noticed since then that some 'new' cabins have the belts installed the other way around!

[fruitloop]

Dave.
AFAIK it isn't a stipulation but a recommendation from Australian CASA..

[wiggy]

If I'm not mistaken, we seem now to have covered pretty well every possible combination of ways that seats belts are oriented.

Yep...Had a chance to do some covert seat belt spotting when travelling as pax on a half full short haul flight yesterday (Well it was either that or read the Daily Hate). From my survey it seemed the seat belt orientation on that aircraft at least was absolutely random..

[Epsomdog]

Quote:
If I'm not mistaken, we seem now to have covered pretty well every possible combination of ways that seats belts are oriented.
Yep...Had a chance to do some covert seat belt spotting.......

There is only one correct configuration! (At the risk of sounding like a complete bore!). That which is in the AMM....

Recaro seat CMM 25-22-05 p7028

Reading from left to right belts should be fitted
Tip/Buckle, Buckle/Tip, Buckle/Tip !aisle! Tip/Buckle, Tip/Buckle, Buckle/Tip

6 abreast obviously, the rule is no buckles in the aisle or at the windows. The window seat and its adjacent seat will have their buckles sharing an attachment point.

[fruitloop]

Thanks Epsomdog
I've been doing that for so long I forgot where I read it...

[Volume]

I've found one side twisted quite often and found it clipped in the wrong way. Not good when it's the buckle side.No problem, can be removed and installed the right way round without the need for tools. I do that frequently, I would estimate around once in 10 flights it is installed the wrong way... So much for quality control.

Worth checking that the passenger in the adjacent seat doesn't also have a twist in his/her buckle belt. Smart idea, but does not apply to business class seats :cool:

There is only one correct configuration! (At the risk of sounding like a complete bore!). That which is in the AMM....
Reading from left to right belts should be fitted
Tip/Buckle, Buckle/Tip, Buckle/Tip !aisle! Tip/Buckle, Tip/Buckle, Buckle/Tip
should probably better read
Tip/Buckle(Lid up), Buckle(Lid up)/Tip, Buckle(Lid up)/Tip !aisle! Tip/Buckle(Lid up), Tip/Buckle(Lid up), Buckle(Lid up)/Tip
Just for the very stupid type of AMM user...
"did it in accordance with the AMM, it does not say which way to install the buckle, so it is optional"

[Derfred]

Well, just to stir things up, after reading this thread I went down the back of one of QF's newest B737-800s to check it out and guess what:

Every seat has the buckle on the left. :8

[Epsomdog]

Best check the AMM/CMM and confirm the correct configuration for this a/c and seat layout.

The layout I referred to earlier was for Recaro seats on a A320.

[number0009]

Epsomdog,

Thanks, good information from the CMM.



Derfred,
Not surprised.
Well, just to stir things up, after reading this thread I went down the back of one of QF's newest B737-800s to check it out and guess what:

Every seat has the buckle on the left.
I believe the seat assembly CMM specifies the tip/buckle placement for safety reasons.

Buckles hanging in the aisles or out an exit window could impede the evacuation during an emergency.

Finally found a U.S. regulation and other authorities use similar or same language. CFR § 121.311 Seats, safety belts, and shoulder harnesses:(i) At each unoccupied seat, the safety belt and shoulder harness, if installed, must be secured so as not to interfere with crewmembers in the performance of their duties or with the rapid egress of occupants in an emergency.From a B737 AMM used during a "C" check a couple of years ago:
2. Detailed Inspection of the Passenger Seat Belts
NOTE: This is a MSG-3 scheduled maintenance task.
C. Detailed Inspection of the Passenger Seat Belts
SUBTASK 25-22-00-210-001
(1) Do this check of the passenger seat belts:
(a) Do a detailed visual inspection to make sure the seat belts are not worn, frayed, or damaged.
(b) Pull on the seat belts to make sure they are attached tightly to the seat.
(c) Do these steps to make sure the seat belt operates correctly :
1) Put the tongue end of the belt in the buckle.
NOTE: You can hear a click when the tongue is engaged in the buckle.
2) Lift the release handle on the buckle to disengage the belt halves. As you can see there is no reference to the tip/buckle in the above AMM reference. Maintenance check instructions are routinely written using the AMM reference and many technicians/engineers would never see the CMM unless overhauling the seats.
AMMs and check cards should be checked and revised if needed to include correct information.