A Backless Plane Seat to Save Space? Budget Airline Speaks Out After Troubling Photo Goes Viral
EasyJet Airlines had to answer some unusual questions Tuesday after a photo of a woman sitting in a backless seat on one of their flights went viral on social media.
The photo, shared by a Twitter user who claimed it was taken by his partner, showed the women seated near the aisle with the entire seatback missing.
“#easyjet beats @Ryanair to have backless seats.@IATA @EASA this is flight 2021 Luton to Geneva. How can this be allowed,” the user tweeted.
RELATED: Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Crawls Into Plane’s Overhead Bin as Passengers Board Aircraft
#easyjet beats @Ryanair to have backless seats. @IATA @EASA this is flight 2021 Luton to Geneva. How can this be allowed. @GeneveAeroport @easyJet_press @easyJet pic.twitter.com/EthMoWRR8P
— Matthew Harris (@mattiasharris) August 6, 2019
However, it seems that EasyJet was just as surprised to see a backless seat on one of their flights. They responded to the user on Twitter, asking him to remove the photograph and message them directly about the incident.
“Hi Matthew, thanks for bringing this to our attention, before we can investigate this could I ask you to remove the photograph & then DM us more info regarding this, so we can best assist you. Ross,” the airline’s Twitter wrote.
RELATED: American Airlines Flight Attendant Gets 5 Stitches After Emotional Support Dog Bites Him
Hi Matthew, thanks for bringing this to our attention, before we can investigate this could I ask you to remove the photograph & then DM us more info regarding this, so we can best assist you. Ross https://t.co/Qq2zhBAizh
— easyJet (@easyJet) August 6, 2019
The user refused to take down the photo, holding the airline accountable.
“One has to wonder how safe the rest of the plane was. This was her seat,” the user added. “The lady was moved to a spare seat once the flight was fully boarded. Not sure what would have happened if the flight was full. My partner took the photo.”
In a tweeted response, the airline sent the user a statement in which they explained that if the flight had been full, “two passengers would have been offered an alternate flight as they would not have been permitted to travel in these seats.”
RELATED VIDEO: Best International Airline
Hello Matthew, please see the below picture. - Dan pic.twitter.com/kjzRxYh3MH
— easyJet (@easyJet) August 6, 2019
The airlines later issued another statement, further explaining that the woman was not “permitted” to sit in the backless seat, as it was a broken one waiting to be repaired, Mashable reported.
“No passengers were permitted to sit in these seats as they were inoperative awaiting repair,” the statement read. “Safety is our highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all safety guidelines.”
