While it may seem counterintuitive to have your armrests down during takeoff and landing as it makes it harder to exit your seat if something were to happen – it’s actually safer to keep them down.
The reason why flight attendants tell you to put the armrests down during takeoff and landing is because they can cause serious injury if the plane comes to a sudden halt.
This was explained in detail by former cabin crew safety trainer, Sebastien Bouevier.
Sebastien, who worked for a major airline, said: “Great care is taken to even the smallest of details as far as aviation safety is concerned.”
If the plane comes to a sudden halt during takeoff and landing, the armrests could fly down and cause injury.
It’s all down to simple physics. If the armrest is already down, there is less chance of an injury.
Sebastiencontinued: “Newton’s first law of motion states: ‘An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force’.
“In this case, the armrest is that object. It is attached to the aircraft which is typically travelling at 135-155 knots (250-287km) for take off and landing. If the aircraft was to come to a sudden halt, the armrest would swivel forward at the same speed as the aircraft was at prior to halting.”
This means the armrest could slam into your side with a force as if it was travelling at more than 135 knots (250km).
Sebastien added: “So while it may seem logical to think that the armrest should remain up in order to make it easier for you to evacuate, the opposite is actually true as the force of the armrest hitting your back could possibly render you immobile altogether.”
Meanwhile, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon recently revealed why you should always take a tennis ball in your carry on luggage.
Longer flights tend to cause tight muscles and pain and you can use the tennis ball to massage these muscles.
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