Air India crash leads to surge in demand for ‘lucky’ seat 11A after miraculous survival
However, aviation experts caution that it is not the seat number but the location which matters most
Demand for “lucky” seat 11A has spiked following the lone survivor’s miraculous escape in the fatal Air India crash – despite aviation experts warning that the specific seat number does not offer any proven safety advantage.
Travel agents have reported a sharp surge in passenger inquiries about seat 11A, where Viswash Kumar Ramesh was sitting when the London-bound aircraft crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off.
The 40-year-old British national was the lone survivor among the 242 passengers and crew members on board. On Wednesday, he was discharged from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, six days after the disaster that killed his brother.
Ramesh’s unlikely escape is now reshaping how travellers choose their seats, according to The Times of India newspaper.
When he flies to the United States from New Delhi this week, businessman Jitender Singh Bagga asked to be seated next to an emergency exit.
“It has to be a seat next to the emergency exit,” he said. “I am willing to fork out any extra amount for it. If seat 11A is next to the emergency door of the British Airways flight I intend to take … I want to be in it.”