Four seats in every row of ten in economy class in an Airbus A380 are aisle seats.
Aisle seats have benefits because they have easy access to the toilets, a little extra leg room and make exiting the aircraft faster.
But they can be dangerous. The danger comes from above. It is the overhead locker.
Stephen Bradshaw was sitting in the aisle seat in economy class on an Emirates A380 Airbus which was an hour away from landing in Dubai. The fasten seatbelt sign was not on. Another passenger opened the overhead locker above him. Suddenly, the aircraft banked and a child’s hard-shell suitcase fell out of the overhead locker above Mr Bradshaw and struck him on the head. Fortunately, the suitcase was empty. Mr Bradshaw’s forehead was red, but not bleeding.
The cabin crew administered an ice pack to his forehead and offered Panadol.
He had a “very painful and uncomfortable journey” but did not suffer any after-effects when he got home.
In every air ticket you will find a reference to the Montreal Convention, which is the international convention governing passenger rights for air travel. The Montreal Convention deals with passenger injuries. It states that the airline is liable to compensate passengers who sustain an injury caused by an accident on board an aircraft without the passenger needing to prove the airline was at fault.
Emirates was willing to pay medical expenses and for medicines, but did not offer any cash compensation or compensation in lieu such as a loyalty points voucher or an upgrade on the next flight.
Mr Bradshaw went to Court and was awarded $5,000 for “pain and suffering and the loss of amenities of life”.
No-one wears helmets when sitting in the aisle seat in an aircraft, but given there are an estimated 450 serious incidents of baggage falling from overhead lockers onto passengers each year around the world, perhaps helmets should be offered along with drinks.
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Economy Class Cabin Emirates A380 during boarding. Observe that baggage falling from the overhead lockers will fall upon passengers sitting in the aisle seats (author's photo (c) copyright)