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Airline bans couple after racist row over reclined seat

Two travellers have been banned from Cathay Pacific flights after an argument over seat etiquette descended into racist insults. The incident occurred on a flight from Hong Kong to London, with a woman documenting her experience in a video posted on Xiaohongshu, China's version of Instagram. The woman, from mainland China, explained, "The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband's view of the TV. I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy." A flight attendant stepped in to find a solution to the issue, but when the woman continued to refuse to put her chair up, the situation only escalated. "When (the female passenger) realised my Cantonese wasn't so great, she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a 'Mainland girl' and other derogatory stuff," the woman said, explaining how people from Hong Kong speak mainly Cantonese, whereas mainland Chinese mainly speak Mandarin. "Once I started recording, the husband behind me even shoved his hand on my armrest and started shaking it like crazy. I felt my personal space had been completely violated," added the woman, who said other passengers then intervened. In footage of the incident uploaded by the woman, a female voice can be heard saying in Mandarin: "You're old enough — why are you bullying a young girl?" And others can be heard shouting in Cantonese: "You're embarrassing us Hongkongers!" "After some passengers spoke up for me, the flight attendant finally said I could switch seats. I felt it was absurd—what if no one had backed me up? Would I have just been left to deal with it on my own?" the passenger said. "As a major airline, isn't Cathay supposed to know how to handle such disputes? Shouldn't treating passengers differently get some consequences? In a statement released Saturday, Cathay Pacific said it wanted to "sincerely apologise" for the "unpleasant experience," with the airline saying, "We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behaviour that violates aviation safety regulations or disrespects the rights of other customers." "We will deny future travel on any Cathay Group flights to the two customers involved in this incident." Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Passenger sparks debate over travellers sleeping in aisle seats

A heated debate has erupted online after a passenger suggested those sitting in an aisle seat should remain alert and awake for the entire flight, with the only exception being if it's a long-flight of seven hours or more. “A person sitting in an aisle seat on a plane should not be allowed to sleep," they wrote on Reddit. The reason behind it, according to the passenger, is to ensure that middle and window seat passengers can access the toilet, get served by flight attendants, and evacuate quickly in an emergency. “There are some exceptions and those would probably be on any flight longer than seven hours. “But anything shorter than that, you should not be sleeping. What if the middle or window passenger needs the bathroom, or if the flight attendant needs to hand them something – You’ll be in the way.” They added that a snoozing aisle seat passenger could potentially slow down evacuation during an emergency and put everyone at risk. “Now you would be risking people’s lives because you fell asleep,” they wrote. Social media users flocked to the Reddit thread to share their thoughts. “Nah, just poke me and wake me up if you need me to get up or do something," one wrote. “I’m well aware that I’m in the way, believe me. I’m certainly not there because I wanted to be in the aisle seat.” “If you sleep in an aisle seat, you deal with people getting up. That’s the unwritten rule," another added. A few others supported the idea, but shared their own take on plane etiquette. “My take on this: if you sleep in the aisle seat, you must be okay with being woken up multiple times to let the folks in your row get up. “Other flight rules: middle seat gets the armrest, and window seat must raise the window shade during taxi, takeoff, and landing so the rest of us in the row can watch.” Image: Shutterstock

Travel Tips

Woman “bullied” on plane over budget seating trick

A young woman has recalled a flight from hell when she was “bullied” by a couple who were trying to utilise a seating hack that went viral on TikTok. The solo traveller took to Reddit to recount the story and ask social media users if she was in the wrong for her action. The woman began by saying she usually pays more to select her plane seat ahead of time, but a medical emergency on another plane had her waiting on standby and left with no option other than to sit in a middle seat. When she was finally able to board, she was greeted by a couple who had purchased both the window and aisle seats in a bid to have more space, utilising a travel “trick” that has been popular on TikTok. The method, which has been dubbed the 'poor man's business class', usually leaves travellers with an empty middle seat and more space, and few travellers opt to pick a middle seat. “When I got to my row the man and woman were chatting and sharing a snack... it was obvious they were together. I mentioned to the man that I'm in the middle, and he got up to let me in,” the unsuspecting traveller wrote on Reddit. “I asked them if they would prefer to sit together, I said I was totally okay with that. The woman reacted rudely to this and said ‘you're not supposed to be sitting here anyway’.” After noticing how the plane was full, she offered to show the pair her new ticket with the correct seat number on it. “She flicked her hand at my ticket and made a disgusted sound. I offered again if they wanted to sit together to which she didn't reply, her partner said it's okay and... made some small talk,” she continued. The man’s girlfriend then interrupted their conversation to ask,”'Did you use one of those third party websites to book your flight? It's so frustrating when people cheap out to inconvenience others.” The American woman explained that she had booked her flight directly and she had been placed on standby like everyone else and didn't choose the middle seat - she was assigned it. She then tried to keep the peace by refusing to engage with the furious woman. “I was so done with her attitude, I put my headphones on and attempted to do my own thing,” she explained. But the “entitled” girlfriend wasn't letting it go, as the woman explained, “This woman kept reaching over me and tapping her partner and trying to talk to him in a way that was super intrusive.” “I could tell even her partner was trying to engage her less so that she would hopefully stop, but she didn't.” “I think they tried to pull that tactic where they don't sit together on purpose...hoping no one will sit between them. But on full flights it doesn't work. And even so - it's not the other person's fault.” The traveller's post was met with hundreds of comments slamming the girlfriend’s behaviour, as one person wrote, “It's like a toddler having a tantrum.” “She was disappointed and a total a**hole. Gross entitled people,” another added. Another person applauded the traveller’s level-headed behaviour, writing, “Wow! You are my hero for keeping it classy - I’m afraid I would not have been as kind as you.” Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Obese woman sparks debate for not giving up extra seat for toddler

An obese woman has sparked debate online after refusing to give up the second seat she paid for to a fussy toddler. The 34-year-old booked the two seats for her cross-country flight to visit her family for Christmas because she was previously unable to comfortably fit in one seat. All was well until the young woman next to her demanded that she "squeeze into one seat" so her son could sit on the other. "I am obese," she admitted on the Reddit thread. "I'm actively working toward losing weight and I've made progress - but I booked an extra seat because I'm fat." She added that she insisted on keeping her seat because she paid for it, but the mum "made a big fuss over it, and she told the flight attendant I was stealing the seat from her son." "Then I showed her my boarding passes, proving that I paid for the extra seat. The flight attendant asked me if I could try to squeeze in, but I said no, that I wanted the extra seat I paid for." The woman claimed that the toddler was only 18 months old, so he didn't need his own seat and could've sat on his mum's lap for the duration of the flight. "I got dirty looks and passive-aggressive remarks from her for the entire flight and I do feel a little bad because the boy looked hard to control - but am I in the wrong?" she asked other social media users. Many shared their overwhelming support for the woman and slammed the mum and flight attendant for their "horrific" behaviour. "The mum is an a**hole for not buying a seat for her son and assuming someone else would give up a seat they paid for. Odds are she was hoping there'd be extra seats on the flight so she didn't have to pay and used the lap thing as a loophole," one commented. "What's even the point of the extra seat if the flight attendants are going to let entitled people bully others into giving it up?" another added. "People buy entire seats for high-end musical equipment. Not even people. Their lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on your part," a third wrote. However, there were a few others that said the woman was in the wrong for causing an inconvenience. "If you are so fat that you have to have more than one seat on an airplane then you are selfish," one said. "Flights overbook all the time especially during the holidays - how can you justify having two seats to yourself?" "How much room does a kid take up, seriously? Yeah the mum should've bought a seat but that doesn't mean you have to be selfish and cause two people discomfort," another commented. Image: Getty

Travel Trouble

This bathroom item is dirtier than your toilet seat, according to a microbiologist

Bathrooms and germs Bathrooms are filthy – there’s just no way around it. They’re home to toilets, sinks and showers and tend to be one of the dirtiest places in the home, no matter how often they’re on your cleaning schedule. And because the toilet seat plays host to your derrière, it’s easy to label this as the germiest spot in the bathroom. But research is disproving that notion. Overall, the hard surfaces – such as the toilet seat and floor – are scrubbed down often because they’re the first lines on your bathroom cleaning checklist. And many people focus on cleaning the toilet because nothing screams dirty like a line of biofilm in the toilet bowl. But what about other bathroom-specific items? Dr Charles Gerba, a microbiology professor at the University of Arizona, says that it’s the fabrics in our bathroom that deserve the most attention. Yes, your bathmat is actually dirtier than your toilet seat, followed by towels, including those facecloths (which is why you need to wash your towels often). Here’s what you need to know. Are bathmats really that dirty? “We’ve done a lot of research on the microbiology of homes and, more recently, the bathroom,” says Gerba. The bathmat is problematic for two reasons, he says. First, it gets wet when you’re getting out of the shower, and it stays wet and moist, often in a dark and damp room. The second issue is that many people wear shoes in the bathroom, a huge contributing factor to the dirt, grime and bacteria found on bathmats. “Almost 90% of all shoes have faecal bacteria on them,” Gerba says. “You’re walking in dog poop all the time, and you don’t know it.” Beyond tracking shoes throughout the house and across bathmats, Gerba also pointed out the potential of spray from the toilet to land on bathmats. The Ecological Fluid Dynamics Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder experimented to see how far water droplets were ejected into the air when flushing public restroom toilets. The airborne particles shoot out quickly, reaching as much as 1.5 metres above the toilet within 8 seconds. The droplets were unpredictable and landed on the walls around the toilet, including behind it, and also on the ceiling. Which means that depending on the proximity, spray from a toilet can easily touch down on a plush bathmat. But while some research might suggest closing the toilet seat cover at home before flushing, not everyone agrees with that solution. “When you close the lid, the spray then goes over the top of the toilet seat and hits the walls on the side because you’ve narrowed the opening, which makes the water shoot out at a higher speed,” Gerba says, adding that closing the lid also leads to the toilet seat and underside of the lid getting more contaminated. How to prevent dirty bathmats Whether or not you close the toilet seat, one thing is certain: Keeping your bathmat as dry as possible is important. One of the factors that make bathmats the dirtiest spot in the bathroom is that they sometimes stay damp for hours, depending on how humid your environment is, how many people are showering and how much water splashes on them. Drying off in the shower will keep your bathmat from getting soggy. You can also hang it to dry instead of leaving it on the floor, where it will stay wet longer. Another tip: If you don’t remove your shoes when entering your house, at least take them off before going into the bathroom (and clean your floors often). That way, you’re not tracking outside germs onto a bathmat where they can quickly and easily multiply. “When you get out of the shower, it’s moist,” Gerba says. “Any time we have a fabric, it absorbs water, and things like faecal bacteria will survive longer there than on hard surfaces.” How to wash your bathmat The hard surfaces in bathrooms are satisfying to spray and wipe down, which Gerba recommends doing every few days. But what about bathmats? You should wash your bathmat at least once a week, and not just to keep it fresh and fluffy, but importantly, to remove bacteria. The first step to washing bathmats is to check the care label and follow the instructions on the tag, including which temperature is best for the fabric. Most bathmats can be machine-washed, but be careful with rubber-backed bathmats, which shouldn’t be dried on high heat. In general, quick-drying fabrics, such as microfibre and chenille, can be good options because they dry fast and are easy to launder. Something you can easily wash twice per week is the healthiest option. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/this-bathroom-item-is-dirtier-than-your-toilet-seat-according-to-a-microbiologist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

Heated argument between economy passengers reignites plane etiquette debate

A 12-second clip of two passengers arguing on a plane has reignited the age-old debate of whether it is acceptable to recline your seat on a plane. The viral video which was originally posted on TikTok and then re-shared on X, has racked up over 8 million views since Thursday. In the video, a frustrated woman was calling out another female passenger for pushing her seat the entire flight, right after they landed. “The whole trip she pushed my seat,” the woman said to a male passenger seated next to the female passenger accused of kicking her seat. “You seen it. You know she did.” “I’m allowed to put my seat back," she yelled repeatedly. Ian Miles Cheong, the user who posted the video on X, defended the woman saying: “She’s allowed to put her seat back. You don’t get to kick it repeatedly just because you want more space.” A few were on the woman's side and praised her for standing up for herself. “You are allowed! Period! You want space in front of you instead of pushing the seat, buy a seat with extra space or get your a** to business class. Reclining was put there for a reason,” one person wrote. “She was patient enough to wait till flight landed," they added. “If the seat is reclinable, recline it,” another commented. "What she’s saying is right. The woman has a right to put her seat back without someone kicking it," a third agreed. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> She’s allowed to put her seat back. You don’t get to kick it repeatedly just because you want more space. <a href="https://t.co/WELD7Qh4Re">pic.twitter.com/WELD7Qh4Re</a> — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1719881310351863952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2023</a></blockquote> However, others claimed that there was an unwritten rule that you shouldn't recline your seat, especially on a short-haul flight, adding that the recline feature should be scrapped from airplanes. “Putting your seat back in coach is an unspoken thing most people don’t do. It’s really the airline’s fault because they’ve made coach so cramped and tight that putting the seat back shouldn’t even be an option,” one commented. “Airline seats simply shouldn’t be able to recline. It intrudes on the already very little space a person has on the plane for the person behind them,” another added. “Really it’s the airline’s fault for cramming so many people in such a small space. They don’t call it cattle class for nothing,” a third wrote. One user understood both sides of the argument, and blamed the airlines for making the seats so cramped. "It can be annoying sometimes to be behind someone with their seat all the way, but if the airlines didn't want to allow that, it wouldn't happen," they wrote. "You don't kick the seat like a baby. Blame the airline, not the person doing what the airline says is fine." Images: Twitter

Travel Trouble

Traveller shares hilarious hack to ensure the middle seat on a plane stays empty

There is nothing more joyous than boarding a plane and being seated next to an empty seat, ensuring you have a comfy flight by not being squished in with other travellers. But with this joy can also come sheer disappointment, when you get comfy in your extra space before a last-minute traveller comes to claim the empty seat. To combat the chance of someone robbing you of your space on a cramped plane, one traveller has shared the hilarious lengths he goes to in order to make sure the middle seat on a plane stays empty. The traveller posted the video of his hilarious hack to TikTok, sharing his trick with others to guarantee some extra space every time you fly. He put his arm upright inside a spare hoodie, placing a hat on top of his hand, to make it look like the seat was already occupied – preventing anyone else from taking that spot. The video has since been taken down, but has been reshared by other accounts. Of course, this hack only works on flights that have open seating policies, where passengers choose their own seats once on board, rather than having them assigned. The trick seems to work, with passengers avoiding his row and taking up empty seats elsewhere. Some viewers called the hack "genius" and said they would try it out for themselves next time they travel. However, others were skeptical, wondering how the trick would work if passengers eager to be seated are walking towards the two front on, rather than from behind. Image credits: TikTok

Travel Tips

"I’m sorry, but no": Passenger on 12-hour flight stops woman from reclining

A passenger on a 12-hour flight from Paris to Los Angeles went to great lengths to stop the woman in front of her from reclining her seat. The footage captured on August 13 shows a woman in a black jumper stretching her arms out in attempt to prevent the passenger in front of her from reclining, reported The Sun. The chair jolts as the passenger in front kept trying to move back the seat, but the woman behind her was persistent, and used all of her strength to push the seat forward and keep it in an upright position. The traveller seemed to give up trying to recline her seat, but the woman behind her continued to place her hands on the seat. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but no,” she says as she continued her attempts. As tension rose between the two passengers, the woman in front gets fed up and asked if she could talk to someone, before confronting the traveller behind her. “Just let me know, what’s going on?,” she asked. “I said respectfully, can you please stop moving it back?" the woman behind her responded. “Respect the person behind you,” as the person in front explained that she is trying to recline her seat so she can sleep. The woman behind continued to tell her to “respect the person behind you” as she tried to watch a movie on her laptop. The confrontation seemed to work as the seat in front came to a standstill. Images: The Sun

Travel Trouble

Beauty ideals were as tough in the middle ages as they are now

After turning up at this year’s Grammys, Madonna was subjected to a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/madonna-now-grammys-facelift-recent-b2279848.html">vitriolic online attack</a> over her appearance, particularly what was deemed her excessive use of plastic surgery. The irrepressible 64-year-old instantly hit back, saying, Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in. I look forward to many more years of subversive behaviour pushing boundaries." It’s a familiar story. Standards of beauty have been embedded in different cultures, in varying forms, from time immemorial. The standards that women and, increasingly, all people are expected to meet to embody a certain level of beauty, are often based on binary notions of idealised forms of femininity or masculinity, or both. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Look how cute i am now that swelling from surgery has gone down. Lol 😂 <a href="https://t.co/jd8hQyi2Az">pic.twitter.com/jd8hQyi2Az</a> — Madonna (@Madonna) <a href="https://twitter.com/Madonna/status/1627713003238965248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2023</a></blockquote> Women’s bodies have been pathologised throughout history, from Plato’s notion of the “<a href="https://www.rcn.org.uk/library-exhibitions/Womens-health-wandering-womb">wandering womb</a>” which was used to account for every female physical and emotional ailment. In medieval <a href="https://juliamartins.co.uk/what-is-the-humoral-theory">humoral theory</a>, women were considered <a href="https://www.medievalists.net/2011/08/the-female-body-in-medieval-europe-theories-of-physicality-versus-practical-gynecology/">cold and wet in constitution</a>, and more prone to certain afflictions. The association of beauty with health, and ugliness with disease, has been taken up in more recent feminist debate over the modern cultural obsession with women’s appearance as an <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/beauty-sick/renee-engeln/9780062469786">epidemic</a>. It’s no wonder that instances of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and dysmorphia can all be connected to modern – and indeed, pre-modern – people’s experience of beauty standards. In her 1991 book <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/oct/18/classics.shopping">The Beauty Myth</a>, Naomi Wolf argued that the standards of western female beauty were used as a weapon to stagnate the progress of women. But in medieval culture, such pressures were doubly weighted, since beauty was closely aligned with morality: beauty was associated with goodness and ugliness with evil. Such cultural associations are addressed by Eleanor Janega in her book <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/events/the-once-and-future-sex-eleanor-janega-in-conversation-with-cat-jarman/london-gower-street">The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society</a>. In her lively exploration of medieval women’s social roles, Janega shows how beauty “was a key to power”, crucially connected to wealth, privilege, youth and maidenhood – to create “a ‘perfect’ sort of femininity”. Janega explores medieval gender norms to consider the ways that women’s roles have – and haven’t – changed. Focusing on female beauty standards and contradictions, sex and female sexuality, and women’s roles as workers, wives and mothers, Janega reflects on what this study of women in the middle ages means now, "Turns out that the way we think about and treat women is socially malleable, and while some of our constructs have changed, we continue to treat women as inferior to men." <h2>Weaponising beauty</h2> I’ve recently been examining a type of weaponised beauty that some religious women in the middle ages appeared to practise to emphasise the more superior beauty of their inner selves. In BBC Radio Wales’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001l1rl">The Idea</a>, I explored how some medieval saints subverted standards of “traditional” female beauty to avoid living lives that would hinder their chastity and spiritual goals: in other words, taint the beauty of their souls. Some of their tactics were extreme. In a female monastery in the Scottish borders, the abbess was a woman known as Æbbe the Younger, daughter of Æthelred, King of Northumbria. As marauding Vikings attacked the monastery, and terrified of being defiled, Æbbe attempted to repel them by disfiguring her face, "The abbess, with an heroic spirit… took a razor, and with it cut off her nose, together with her upper lip unto the teeth, presenting herself a horrible spectacle to those who stood by. Filled with admiration at this admirable deed, the whole assembly followed her maternal example." From Roger of Wendover’s Flowers of History, Comprising the History of England Though the nuns’ mutilated faces did cause the Vikings to flee, they later returned to set fire to the monastery, burning the women alive. But in their martyrdom, the nuns’ souls remained beautiful and untainted, which was what they had desired. In 15th-century legend, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilgefortis">Wilgefortis</a>, a young Christian Portuguese princess determined to live in perpetual virginity, was commanded by her parents to marry a pagan Sicilian king. At her refusal, her father had her imprisoned and tortured. Wilgefortis starved herself in penance and prayed to God that she should be disfigured. Her prayers were answered and she miraculously grew a moustache and a beard. Horrified at the loss of her beauty the suitor rejected her, and her furious father ordered that she be crucified. As she died on the cross, Wilgefortis beseeched other women to pray through her to be delivered from vanity and erotic desire. Wilgefortis’s metamorphosis from female-coded standards of medieval beauty to a type of <a href="https://www.health.com/mind-body/transmasculine">transmasculinity</a> offered by her beard and moustache, is, like Æbbe’s self-mutilation, an act of physiological resistance. Wilgefortis prays for deformity and God bestows her with the facial hair that repulses her suitor and secures the beauty of her soul. <h2>Eternal beauty?</h2> Today’s cosmetic surgeons, in supplying women like Madonna with surgical answers to their supposed aesthetic problems, might also serve as God-like figures in the continuing quest to adhere more closely to the standards of beauty that medieval saints like Æbbe and Wilgefortis harnessed in order to subvert. In fact, the “gods” of cosmetic surgery, like the God of medieval Christianity, somehow enable their worshippers to match their outward appearance with their inner feelings – the states of their souls – allowing them to make peace with the variants of beauty that they desire. As in the medieval past, women today negotiate the parameters of beauty in which they have been historically confined, embracing change and letting their souls spill out as they decide what beauty means for them and their bodies. The pursuit of youth and beauty – and beauty within – is rarely without pain, but as we know, that makes for a powerful weapon. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/beauty-ideals-were-as-tough-in-the-middle-ages-as-they-are-now-203751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Beauty & Style

Which seat on a plane is the safest? We asked an aviation expert

When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, or convenience, such as easy access to toilets. Frequent flyers (this author included) might book their seat as close as possible to the front so they can disembark more quickly. We rarely book a flight with hopes of getting one of the middle seats in the last row. Well, guess what? These seats are statistically <a href="https://time.com/3934663/safest-seat-airplane/">the safest ones on an airplane</a>. <h2>Air travel is safe</h2> Before we get into it, I should reiterate that air travel is the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-safe-is-flying-heres-what-the-statistics-say/knzczab06">safest mode of transport</a>. In 2019, there were just under <a href="https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/flightradar24s-2019-by-the-numbers/">70 million</a>flights globally, with only <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2020/01/02/aviation-safety-in-2019-fewer-deaths-but-more-fatal-accidents/?sh=58d372f74ceb">287 fatalities</a>. According to the US National Safety Council’s analysis of census data, the odds of <a href="https://time.com/3934663/safest-seat-airplane/">dying in a plane</a> are about 1 in 205,552, compared with 1 in 102 in a car. Even so, we pay little attention to fatal road accidents, but when we hear about an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/15/nepal-plane-crash-with-72-onboard-leaves-at-least-16-dead">ATR72 crashing in Nepal</a> it’s the lead story on every news page. Our interest in plane crashes might lie in wanting to understand why they happen, or what the odds are of them happening again. And perhaps it’s not a bad thing; our concern ensures these tragic incidents are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/plane-crashes-nepal-singapore-kathmandu-accidents-3b26342109872610d922f515fe94455b">thoroughly investigated</a>, which helps keep air travel safe. Frankly speaking, there is no real need to worry about safety when you board a commercial flight. But if you’ve still got that nagging question in your head, driven by sheer curiosity, read on. <h2>In the middle, at the back</h2> It’s worth remembering accidents by their very nature do not conform to standards. In the 1989 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/United-Airlines-Flight-232">United Flight 232</a> crash in Sioux City, Iowa, 184 of the 269 people onboard survived the accident. Most of the survivors were sitting behind first class, towards the front of the plane. Nonetheless, a <a href="https://time.com/3934663/safest-seat-airplane/">TIME investigation</a> that looked at 35 years of aircraft accident data found the middle rear seats of an aircraft had the lowest fatality rate: 28%, compared with 44% for the middle aisle seats. This logically makes sense too. Sitting next to an exit row will always provide you with the fastest exit in the case of an emergency, granted there’s no fire on that side. But the wings of a plane store fuel, so this disqualifies the middle exit rows <a href="https://www.rd.com/list/flight-safety/">as the safest row option</a>. At the same time, being closer to the front means you’ll be impacted before those in the back, which leaves us with the last exit row. As for why the middle seats are safer than the window or aisle seats, that is, as you might expect, because of the buffer provided by having people on either side. <h2>Some emergencies are worse than others</h2> The type of emergency will also dictate survivability. Running into a mountain will decrease chances of survival exponentially, as was the case in a tragic 1979 disaster in New Zealand. Air New Zealand Flight TE901 crashed into the slopes of Mt Erebus <a href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/erebus-disaster">in Antarctica</a>, killing 257 passengers and crew. Landing in the ocean nose-first also decreases chances of survival, as witnessed with the 2009 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/10/air-france-flight-af477-2009-crash-trial-airbus">Air France Flight 447</a>, in which 228 passengers and crew perished. Pilots are trained to minimise potential risk in an emergency event as best as they can. They will try to avoid hitting mountains and look for a level place, such as an open field, to land as normally as possible. The technique for <a href="https://www.aviationsafetymagazine.com/features/the-myths-of-ditching/">landing in water</a> requires assessing the surface conditions and attempting to land between waves at a normal landing angle. Aircraft are designed to be very robust in emergency situations. In fact, the main reason the cabin crew remind us to keep our seat belts fastened is not because of crash risk, but because of “<a href="https://www.skybrary.aero/articles/clear-air-turbulence-cat">clear air turbulence</a>” that can be experienced at any time at high altitudes. It is this weather phenomenon that can cause the most damage to <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-12-20/turbulence-persists-as-a-major-cause-of-injuries-on-flights">passengers and aircraft</a>. Manufacturers are designing new planes with more composite materials capable of handing in-flight stress. In these designs, the wings are not rigid and can flex to absorb <a href="https://www.wired.com/2010/03/boeing-787-passes-incredible-wing-flex-test/">extreme loading</a> to prevent structural failure. <h2>Does the type of plane make a difference?</h2> Granted, there are certain variables, such as impact from airspeed, that can vary slightly between different airplane types. However, the <a href="https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/UEET/StudentSite/dynamicsofflight.html">physics of flight</a> is more or less the same in all planes. Generally, larger planes will have more structural material and therefore more strength to withstand pressurisation at altitude. This means they may provide some additional protection in an emergency – but this, again, is highly dependent on the severity of the emergency. That’s not to say you should book your next flight on the largest plane you can find. As I’ve mentioned, air travel remains very safe. So I’d suggest thinking about what movie you’ll watch instead, and hoping they don’t run out of chicken and only have the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/19/6-airplane-foods-you-should-avoid-according-to-food-safety-experts.html">shrimp</a> left! Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/which-seat-on-a-plane-is-the-safest-we-asked-an-aviation-expert-198672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Travel Tips

Debate rages over "most reclined seat in the history of aviation"

Frustrated travellers have called out a passenger for reclining his seat all the way on a short flight. The Pointer Brothers shared a video to TikTok saying it’s the “easiest red card of all time” when someone reclines their seat when there’s not enough room to begin with. “5 hour flight home…is this the most reclined seat in the history of aviation,” their caption read. The video shows one of the brothers annoyed at being squished in his seat because of the person in front of him being reclined. At one point he moves really close to the passenger's head to show his frustration. <div><iframe title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7156382025732132142&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40thepointerbrothers_%2Fvideo%2F7156382025732132142%3Fis_copy_url%3D1%26is_from_webapp%3Dv1%26lang%3Den&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2F0f73e1499904406bb843f4d28028f3d4_1666225042%3Fx-expires%3D1667966400%26x-signature%3DK1evkklXcSTqSnlVDK5VeUqWwl4%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> Viewers said the brothers have a point in calling the issue out as planes are already cramped enough. “Those seats should just not recline, it’s cramped enough and I already don’t have leg room,” someone wrote. “That's when passive-aggressive tray adjustments commence,” another commented. “I’m 6’3” and I have never reclined my seat. I can’t bring myself to push into others' space, the dang planes are small the way it is,” someone else pointed out. Others however said the brothers were in the wrong and everyone is entitled to recline their seat. “So many people in this comments section don't understand how legroom works... reclining your seat doesn't keep your knees from being smashed,” someone said. “Wah people are using the seats for what they're for. Want more room, get first class,” another wrote. Images: TikTok

Travel Trouble

“I am not a villain”: Woman refuses to switch plane seats for a family

A woman from the US has defended her decision to not move from her first class plane seat so a family could sit together. In a series of now-viral videos, Maresa Friedman detailed her awkward experience on a recent Delta airlines flight, in which she was asked to move to a different seat. Maresa said a family of three wanted her to move from her allocated seat so they could all sit closer together. After specifically booking her chosen seat in first class, Maresa politely declined their request. "I am not a villain for not moving from the seat in first class I paid full fare for," Friedman, a mother-of-two, captured her clip on TikTok. "I am also a mum so it's called PLANNING AHEAD." In a series of follow up videos, the frequent traveller said it wasn’t fair to be expected to move just so the family could sit together, especially when they hadn’t planned their seats ahead of time. She also suggested the family should’ve moved to economy class if they all wanted to sit in the same row. "If the airline bumps you or moves you or whatever, totally fair, so the suggestion I gave was basically like, ‘Oh if all of you want to sit in together, in a row, since first class is two seats and two seats, I'm sure you could ask the people behind you, I think they would be super pumped to sit [in first class] so that the three of you could be together'," Friedman said. "To which, of course, I just got 'the look'. The flight attendant just looked at me like… 'That was a good suggestion'." Friedman said the family shot her "side eyes" and "death stares" for the duration of the flight because of her refusal to move. "It didn't stop this mom from [giving me] side eye, I was getting looked at, she was talking about me," she added. "If you book with the airline, because this has happened to us as a family of four who travels together, they will group your reservation together. So, the only time that you might be separated is if you miss a flight or a connection." She then offered a piece of advice to fellow travellers who insist on asking people to switch seats: purchase travel insurance. "Things like travel insurance will not only prevent problems like this, you can actually use travel insurance to file claims to get many back or rebook on another carrier," she added. "So again, all preventable." After sharing her series of videos, Maresa was flooded with comments from people who claimed she was being unfair, to which she doubled down on her position by claiming it’s not her responsibility to “accommodate '' other travellers. "Before you come for me, I have two kids, so I have been there, even in the early stages and I would buy my baby a seat next to me, but when you book with the airlines, you have to tell them to book your reservations together and that you're travelling with a minor," she continued. Friedman added, "And by the way, the few times that I did switch seats in my lifetime, it was horrific, never again." Image credits: TikTok

Travel Tips

Radio host dies in the middle of his live broadcast

A local radio presenter has died in the middle of a live broadcast after suffering a heart attack. Tim Gough, a 55-year-old journalist from Suffolk in the UK, was the presenter of the daily breakfast show for GenX Radio Suffolk. An hour into the show, the music stopped playing halfway through, leaving audiences confused about the interference. The music resumed a few minutes later but Mr Gough, who had been speaking just moments earlier, did not return and later the station confirmed he had passed away. GenX Radio Suffolk posted on their social media accounts, "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to inform you, our dear friend and breakfast host Tim Gough passed away this morning whilst presenting his program." "Our love to his family, son, sister, brother and mum." "Tim was doing what he loved. He was 55 years old." The host, whose radio career dated back to 1986, had wished his listeners a good morning and gave weather updates across Suffolk, just minutes before Grey Day by Madness stopped abruptly. The father-of-one spoke his final words after playing Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones, commenting that it was the birthday of bass guitarist Bill Wyman, a Suffolk resident. James Hazell, managing director of GenX Radio Suffolk, took over the broadcast to inform listeners of the situation. He said, "Despite the best efforts of the paramedics, who were on site very quickly, some 20, 25 minutes doing what they could to revive to - it was not to be." "I really have no words at this stage, he was 55-years-old, very healthy. Who knows why these things happened, but its happened." Image credits: Facebook

Caring

Flight attendant reveals the surprising dirtiest place on a plane

It’s no secret that planes are often rife with germs, but it turns out some unexpected parts of the aircraft are much dirtier than others. One flight attendant has shared the part of the plane that often gets overlooked when cleaning, and it's not where you would think. The cabin crew member from the US, who regularly posts travel tips on her FlightBae TikTok account, shared that it's actually the seat pockets you should steer clear of. "They're dirtier than the lavatories, they're dirtier than the seat cushion, and they're dirtier than the tray tables," she said in a clip that's had over 3,000 likes. "Let me tell you why." She goes on to say the seat pockets are "never cleaned". "Unless somebody vomits or there is something ooey or gooey in there, it doesn't get cleaned. All cleaners do is go in and take out the trash," she explained. "So all of those germs have accumulated and there is no regular cleaning of those surfaces, whereas the lavatories are regularly wiped down and sanitised." Her followers were understandably disgusted, with one person even sharing: "This is very true! I once saw a parent place a used diaper in the seat back pocket." "Never touching it again," another said, while a third wrote: "I don't use them. I'll always see people their feet in them." Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

New discovery reveals last moments of Pompeii’s middle class

A series of new finds in Pompeii’s archaeological park have shed light on the final moments of middle class Romans before they were buried beneath volcanic ash and debris from Mount Vesuvius. Plates, glasses, vases, amphorae and terracotta objects left behind in chests and cabinets have been recovered from four rooms in a house that was first excavated in 2018. Gabriel Zuchtriegal, the director of the popular Italian tourist destination, said the discovery revealed precious details about the ordinary citizens of the city. “In the Roman Empire there was a significant proportion of the population which fought for their social status and for whom the ‘daily bread’ was anything but taken for granted. It was a social class that was vulnerable during political crises and famines, but also ambitious to climb the social ladder,” Dr Zuchtriegal <a href="http://pompeiisites.org/en/comunicati/the-discovery-of-furnishings-from-the-house-of-the-lararium-in-regio-v-a-snapshot-of-middle-class-pompeii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>. “In the House of the Lararium at Pompeii, the owner was able to embellish the courtyard with the lararium and the basin for the cistern with exceptional paintings, yet evidently funds were insufficient to decorate the five rooms of the house, one of which was used for storage. “In the other rooms, two on the upper floor which could be reached by a mezzanine, we have discovered an array of objects, some of which are made of precious materials such as bronze and glass, while others were for everyday use. The wooden furniture, of which it has been possible to make casts, was extremely simple. “We do not know who the inhabitants of the house were, but certainly the culture of otium (leisure) which inspired the wonderful decoration of the courtyard represented for them more a future they dreamed of than a lived reality.” In the rooms on the lower floor of the house, all of the furnishings were able to be recovered by creating casts of the furniture. One bedroom even contained the remains of a bed frame and trace fabric from the pillow, similar to three cot-like beds unearthed last year in another Pompeiian home believed to be slaves’ quarters. Next to the bed, archaeologists found a bipartite wooden chest that was left open when the owners fled. Although heavily damaged by beams that crashed onto it during the eruption, it still held an oil lamp decorated with a relief of the Greek god Zeus being transformed into an eagle. A small, three-legged table was found next to the trunk, with a ceramic cup containing glass ampules, and two small plates sitting on top. In the storeroom, they found a wooden cupboard with its backboard still intact and the shelves caved in. Many of the items from the upper floor were found in the rooms below, including everyday items such as ceramic vessels, two bronze jugs, a bronze bowl with a beaded base, and an incense burner in the shape of a cradle. One of the unique and most interesting finds was a small cast of waxed tablets, made up of seven triptychs (carvings with three panels) that have been tied together by a small cord. Images: Parco Archeologico di Pompei

International Travel

Two years on since the Beirut port explosion

It’s been two years since the devastating port explosion that rocked Lebanon and saw the country slowly become even more poor. The terrifying explosion killed 218 people, wounded 7,000 and damaged 77,000 apartments, displacing more than 300,000 people in the already struggling country. Covid was well underway with hospitals already under pressure, but the explosion saw them suddenly overflowing with injured citizens desperate for help. People are saying that the country’s stay-at-home orders saved lives which would have otherwise seen hundreds of thousands on the roads, at work and at the beach near the exploded port. But two years on and the residents are still struggling through the worst economic crisis in 30 years. Electricity runs for an hour a day unless you have a deal with electricity companies, there is also no running water, no bread, no gas, and much more. And it’s only expected to get worse in winter when temperatures plummet and families struggle to keep their loved ones, particularly the elderly, warm. Even putting food on the table has become more difficult with grocery prices soaring exponentially – almost 10 times what they were back in 2019. Families are being forced to ration and even resort to basics. There have been several protests calling for an end to the widespread corruption and tax increases. Will the politicians listen? Probably not, as this has been a long-running issue for Lebanon. Despite all this heartache, Lebanon remains the Paris of the Middle East and is likened to a phoenix, a mythical bird that is born again from the ashes of its predecessor. But what can we do to help Lebanon? Go and visit. Lebanon’s economy continues to rely on tourism and is a stunning summer/spring destination. Travellers will be in awe at the beauty of the Middle Eastern country which is constantly bringing Aussie tourists in. From its capital city Beirut, to Byblos in the seaside of the north of the country, Tyre, also known as Sour (pronounced soor), Harissa and many more it is certainly the place to be. It comes as the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism launched a tourism campaign to bring in Lebanese expats to come to the country during the 2022 summer season. The campaign was dubbed “Ahla Bha Talle,” in reference to a song by late and prominent Lebanese singer Sabah. So in reference to that TikTok video “Yallah come to Lebanon habibi” (Come to Lebanon my love). Images: Twitter

Travel Trouble

View from the hot seat: Mike Tindall's insight into Prince Louis' antics

Going down as one of the most memorable moments from The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Mike Tindall has revealed the reason behind young Prince Louis' cheeky behaviour. Tindall says the four-year-old prince had "complete sugar highs" during the Jubilee Pageant on Sunday after consuming handfuls of sweets behind the scenes. In full view of the world's media, Prince Louis was seen putting his hand across his mum's mouth, trying to shush her as she attempted to tell him to sit still, making a funny face and blowing a raspberry in her direction. Kate swiftly put Louis' hand down, before he did it again with his left hand. The little prince was excited throughout the parade, running up and down the seats, pulling his cousin's hair and eventually jumping onto his grandfather Prince Charles' lap, for a quick break. Tindall was photographed jokingly warning Louis that he was watching him from the seats above. Two days earlier Prince Louis stole the show during Trooping the Colour, pulling a series of funny faces as the rest of the royals watched a flypast of aircraft from the palace balcony. Tindall, also revealed the Queen's grandchildren and their families enjoyed a private lunch after Trooping, describing it was one of his highlights from the four-day celebrations. He spoke about the Jubilee and Louis' mischievous antics on his podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby. "Louis, he was just wanting to have fun, and my two [daughters] are always mischievous, so it was trying to keep a lid on," Tindall said. "There was a lot of sweets out back, though, so they had complete sugar highs. It's tough for them. They're all young, so asking them to sit, because it was two 'til five or whatever, it's a long time. As any parent knows, you just do whatever needs to be done." Tindall was seated directly behind the Cambridges at the Pageant with his wife Zara and their children Mia, eight, Lena, three and Lucas, one. Prince William and Kate later joked about their youngest child's actions, writing on social media, "We all had an incredible time, especially Louis". Image: Getty

Family & Pets

Woman makes a “terrible mistake” in the middle of her wedding

A woman shocked a wedding crowd when she said she had made a “terrible mistake” just as the officiant finished his speech - and before the final vows. Becky Jefferies was ecstatic for her special day after postponing the wedding multiple times due to Covid. But she and now husband Sherif Fayed finally made it to the end of the aisle and were minutes away from being married - however, something just had to go wrong. Being ever so polite, Becky waited for the officiant to complete his speech before grabbing the microphone and announcing that she made a “terrible mistake”. Anyone in their right mind would have asked why she waited for the wedding to announce it – but it’s not what you would expect. In fact, Becky had made it down the aisle only to realise at the end that she was missing half her dress! <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CdLl9DLj6Ji/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CdLl9DLj6Ji/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Becky Jefferies (@jetsetbecks)</a> </div> </blockquote> "As soon as I realised what happened there was no question in my mind that I was going to grab the mic. I just wanted to wait until the officiant finished his speech," she wrote on Instagram. "I also knew that my husband would have told me I was crazy for not stopping the ceremony if I hadn't done it." Becky shared the hilarious footage to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jetsetbecks/video/7094252391272320258?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> which shows her looking behind at her wedding planner and mouthing something while also pointing to her waist. The officiant stopped talking when she grabbed the microphone saying: “Pause for a moment…I just realised when I got to the end of the aisle that I'm missing half my dress. “Maybe I could put it on now?” she asked the laughing audience. "I'm not kidding, two nights ago I had a dream that I did this, that I walked down the aisle without it." The video then cuts to show the wedding planner rushing down the aisle with the missing half of the dress and assisting Becky to put it on. The video has been viewed more than 28 million times and received a whopping four million likes. Images: TikTok

Relationships

How to score a whole row of seats to yourself on a plane

A seasoned traveller has shared her simple tricks for ensuring you get a whole row of seats to yourself on your next flight. Chelsea Dickenson, from London, shared a video to TikTok to tell her followers of the hack she uses when travelling in a pair. “Row to yourself travel hack. This actually works,” she said. According to Chelsea, when selecting your seats online, she suggests booking the aisle and the window, leaving the middle seat free in between you. “The theory here is that someone is much less likely to book a seat in between two strangers and they’ll opt for another row,” Chelsea said. “And even if they do book that middle seat, you can always ask them if they want the aisle or the window and it works out for everyone.” Chelsea suggested the best rows to book are “towards the back of the plane” because it “tends to work a bit better”. Testing out her own theory, Chelsea and her friend James booked the seats in row 13 on a flight. “I’ve gone for row 13 as lots of people think it’s unlucky,” she said. The video shows Chelsea and James waiting patiently in their seats before the cabin crew completed boarding. “Here we go, here’s the moment of truth,” she said. “Yes, the row is clear. We bloody smashed it.” Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

Unusual car seat mistake that leaves your child in danger

With winter just around the corner, parents have been warned to not strap their child into a baby seat if they’re wearing a puffy jacket. Tiny Hearts Education founder, former paramedic and mum Nikki Jurcutz explained that the puffy jacket leaves space between the child and the seat belt which makes it dangerous. “As the temperature outside drops, we start to rug up. One of the best things I've found to keep my little ones warm is puff jackets, and I see so many kids wearing the same thing,” she wrote in an informative post on Facebook. “But if you're going to use a thick jacket like that, there's something that it doesn't go well with: A car seat.” She went on to explain how despite thinking you have strapped your child in safely, the space is dangerous when in an accident. “When your bub is wearing a thick jacket and put in the car seat, you'll tighten the strap to remove the slack,” she continued. “Thick jackets often trap air amongst the layers and feathers inside the jacket, so in an accident, the jacket compresses, creating excessive space between bub and their car seat straps. “This excessive space means they may not be held securely in the car seat, which increases their risk of injury in a crash.” Nikki went on to offer suggestions on how to ensure children are safely seated and strapped in the seat while wearing a jacket. “To test if a jacket is too thick to wear in a car seat, put bub in while wearing the jacket and tighten the slack like you normally would [remember: to check your harness is tight enough, you shouldn't be able to pinch any of the strap between your thumb and pointer finger]. “Then take bub out of their car seat without loosening the harness, then put bub back in the car seat. If you need to tighten it, the jacket shouldn't be worn in the car seat.” Otherwise, some alternatives to a puffy jacket can be: pre-warming the car before putting bub in, dressing bub in long-sleeve, using socks and singlets for extra layers, add blankets on the outside of the car seat. For older kids, try putting them in the car seat first, then put the jacket on backwards over their arms on the outside of the car seat straps. Image: Shutterstock

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Which seat on a plane is the safest? We asked an aviation expert

Debate rages over "most reclined seat in the history of aviation"

“I am not a villain”: Woman refuses to switch plane seats for a family

Radio host dies in the middle of his live broadcast

Flight attendant reveals the surprising dirtiest place on a plane

New discovery reveals last moments of Pompeii’s middle class

Two years on since the Beirut port explosion

View from the hot seat: Mike Tindall's insight into Prince Louis' antics

Woman makes a “terrible mistake” in the middle of her wedding

How to score a whole row of seats to yourself on a plane

Unusual car seat mistake that leaves your child in danger