Last year, Norwegian airline Corendon made headlines by announcing a flight with a cordoned-off ‘Adults Only’ section, where children are prohibited. Like many stories about children in public places, this sparked intense debate.

But I think children – and especially babies – are unfair targets. As a travel writer and journalist, I made my living for 14 years, partly by taking planes to foreign locations (I’m so sorry, environment).

In hundreds of flights, I have never seen a baby as disruptive as a drunken thug. Or groups of bachelor parties, who have the power to make an airplane cabin feel like it’s 3 a.m. in a seedy nightclub, without the temptation of being tipsy and possibly scoring a kiss. And then there are many, many men I’ve sat next to with a casual relationship to personal hygiene and the belief that their flatulence deserves to be shared.

Babies don’t compare. They are animated butterballs of instinct and curiosity. When they scream and whine on a plane, unlike the aforementioned parties, it’s not because of a lack of respect for you happy holibobs. Like so many of us, they are trapped in a glorified steel tube, screaming through the air.

But more than that, I love babies on planes.

Stay with me.

I can’t convince you to be charmed by a toddler in your cabin, but I can encourage you to observe them with anthropological fascination. Instead of rolling your eyes at the sight of an amorphous sleep thief in your row, try to enjoy their sweet face – one moment gormless, the next moment dignified and curious, bouncing atop a cherubic body.

Or their astonishing enthusiasm for things we encounter every day, like seat belts or tray tables. How their distorted faces, when grumpy, resemble miniature Winston Churchills, rightly offended by the world before them. And when they smile at you, it can flow right through you, like drinking fresh water in the desert.

Watching these adorable, sentient potatoes get excited by the immeasurable surprise of their new environment can be a cheering spark of life to what could otherwise be a rather dull, boring journey.

I also understand, and feel very sorry for not liking babies.

I understand. I know what they are doing wrong. They’re smelly, sticky. Terrible conversation partners. Contribute little to society apart from physical waste. Absolutely never pick up the tab.

And I don’t think babies should have access everywhere. Don’t take them to a Quentin Tarantino movie. Fox hunting. A strip club is Right Out.

In short, I am not a paying member of the Cult of Unquestioning Baby Adoration. Some are little beep words. But I love seeing them on airplanes because it symbolizes humanity’s ability to accept the difficult for the sake of the greater good.

Our value as human beings lies in how we treat the smallest, most vulnerable members of society – and babies are the smallest of the little ones, the most helpless among us. Wittgenstein said: ‘the limits of our language are the limits of our world’. When babies cry – preverbal, half-animal, all instinctive – they are trying to make their world bigger and trying to integrate themselves into ours.

No, it’s not fun sitting next to a loud, frantic baby. I have enormous empathy for non-parents who wish for a peaceful transition, robbed of their serenity. And equal scorn for lax parents who allow their ‘precious bundles’ to watch rowdy Peppa Pig episodes on an iPad or kick the seat in front of them without asking them to do so. But I think we have to combine the rough with the smooth.

‘Child-free planes’ Reddit is a very funny internet rabbit hole where people – anonymously – vent about how to deal with children on planes. Suggestions range from soundproofing the last few rows and making it a kid’s zone, to “just throwing them in the overhead bins” to “banning them altogether.” The jokes, I love them. But that last suggestion wakes me up.

People who strongly say “Don’t take babies on planes” suggest that procreation means parents have to live in a hermetically sealed environment for a limited period of time while they educate their children. They punish because they saw that the world needs to be populated.

To which I say: raising a child is not easy. It is, to paraphrase Jerry Maguire, a siege at dawn and pride. If anyone deserves a week in Tenerife, it’s new parents.

I also wonder about people who whine about babies on a plane (yes, I’m aware this sounds like a family-friendly sequel to Sam L Jackson’s ‘Snakes on a Plane’) – if they are aware that they were once – almost certainly – a baby themselves.

A young Damien who inevitably drove their parents, and probably other adults as well, into swampy, hitherto unknown frustrations. We all were. I don’t want to get into Elton John’s lyrics, but being patient when new babies have a good time, well, jerks – that’s the circle of life, right?

So to Carendon I say: the idea that children and their parents belong in what is essentially an airplane ghetto where they dare to travel suggests that anything that temporarily causes noise, discomfort and distraction should be banned to appease the anger of certain individuals . .

It means that plane tickets of children without children are more valid than those of parents with babies in their arms, that collective, public spaces are in fact their spaces.

If you believe that, how can we ever integrate children into society, arming them with the skills, morals, and grace to become thoughtful adults? What, I wonder, makes you so special, and makes them – barely baked – worth banishing?

The U.S. military’s V-22 Osprey has been cleared to fly again, three months after an “unprecedented” part defect led to the deaths of eight service members in a crash in Japan, Naval Air Systems Command announced Friday.

The crash in Japan was the second fatal accident in three months and the fourth since March 2022, killing a total of 20 soldiers.

Among them was Marine LCpl. Evan Strickland, 19, who died in an Osprey crash in June 2022, when the MV-22 he was in crashed into the California dessert during a training flight.

Last November, eight Air Force Special Operations Command soldiers were killed when a CV-22B Osprey crashed off the coast of the Japanese island of Yakushima. to a rare fleet-wide grounding of hundreds of Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy Ospreys.

Before approving the Osprey, which can fly like an airplane and then convert into a helicopter, officials said they paid more attention to the proprotor gearbox, placed new restrictions on how it can be flown and had added maintenance inspections and requirements that gave them confidence that it could be done. return safely to the flight.

Officials briefing reporters on Wednesday ahead of the lifting of flight restrictions said they quickly grounded the entire fleet in December as it became clear that the way the Osprey component failed in that crash was something they had not done before. had seen on the tiltrotor aircraft.

Although officials did not identify the specific component because the Air Force’s crash investigation remains open, they said they now have a better — but not complete — understanding of why it failed.

“This is the first time we’ve seen this particular component fail in this way. And so this is unprecedented,” said Marine Corps Col. Brian Taylor, V-22 joint program manager at Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, which is responsible for the service-wide V-22 program.

However, the Defense Department’s decision to go back on the run before the conclusion of separate congressional investigations into the Osprey program drew criticism from the chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

“The DoD is lifting the ground order on the Osprey despite providing the Oversight Committee and the American people with no answers about the safety of this aircraft,” said Representative James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky.

“Serious concerns remain, including the accountability measures put in place to prevent accidents, a general lack of transparency, the way maintenance and operational maintenance are prioritized, and how the DoD assesses risk.”

A former Osprey pilot familiar with the investigation confirmed that the part in question is part of the proprotor gearbox, a crucial system that includes transmissions and clutches that connect the Osprey’s engine to the rotor to turn it.

The services have done a “deep dive” into the proprotor gearbox, and the new safety measures “will address the issues we saw in that catastrophic event,” said the head of Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind , Wednesday. .

“I’m confident we now know enough to start flying again,” he said.

The proprotor gearbox system as a whole is a recurring problem area for the Osprey.

Service safety data obtained by The Associated Press shows dozens of cases in Marine Corps and Air Force Ospreys where power surges, sudden loss of oil pressure due to leaks, engine fires or chipping – where the metal components in the gearbox sometimes release dangerous metal chips – have damaged the proprotor gearbox during the flight, sometimes requiring an emergency landing.

Other components of the proprotor gearbox, including the sprag clutch and input spring, have been factors in previous crashes, and the services have made changes such as replacing those parts more frequently.

The services also look closely at the material the defective part is made of and how it is manufactured, Bauernfeind said. NAVAIR is also conducting further testing to help the services better understand why the component failed.

“It was a single component that failed in such a way that led to catastrophic consequences,” Bauernfeind said.

After testing is completed, he said, some of the operational safety controls now placed on the Osprey may be reduced “to give us more flexibility with the platform.”

The investigation, known as the Accident Investigation Board, will be made public and is expected to be completed within the next two months.

The proprotor gearbox failure was first reported by NBC News.

Japan’s government has also been briefed on the findings and the military’s plan to address the issue, the officials said. Japan also grounded its fleet of fourteen Ospreys after the crash.

Crews have now not flown for more than 90 days – a factor that will make their return to flight more dangerous.

The services said Wednesday they are taking a cautious approach that could take anywhere from 30 days to several months to retrain their crews before their Osprey squadrons can return to normal flying.

The Osprey has been in development for four decades, but only became operational in 2007.

The US military has flown the Osprey for approximately 750,000 hours, relying on its ability to quickly fly long distances as an aircraft and then convert to a helicopter to conduct operations in the Middle East and Africa, where some squadrons of the Marine Corps was given an exemption to ban the flight because it was so critical to the mission.

In China’s future needs, the military has made plans to use the Osprey in the Indo-Pacific to operate on islands that lack the airfields needed for traditional aircraft.

But it has also been a controversial design of the first generation of military tiltrotor technology, which has caused more than 14 major accidents killing 59 people and in some cases leading to the loss of the aircraft, which could cost between 70 and 70 people depending on the situation. and costs $90 million. on the variants.

Neither service is planning new production orders for the V-22, which is produced by a joint venture between Bell Flight and Boeing.

The Army has contracted with Bell Flight to purchase the Osprey’s successor, the Bell V-280 Valor, a tiltrotor like the Osprey, but smaller and with a major design change: the engines remain in a fixed, horizontal position.

On the Osprey, the rotors and the entire nacelle housing the engine and propeller gearbox tilt to a vertical position when flying in helicopter mode.

The Marine Corps operates the vast majority of Ospreys, with more than 240 currently assigned to its 17 squadrons.

Its aviation mission depends on the aircraft’s return to flight, and the Marine Corps aims to keep the Osprey in its fleet through 2050, said Marine Corps Brigadier General for Aviation. General Richard Joyce.

“We can’t take our eyes off the V-22 and the years it will last,” Joyce said.

However, the Air Force, which has the second-most Ospreys in the fleet with about 50 assigned to its special operations mission, suggested Wednesday that it might consider other options.

Early concepts for the Osprey date back to the 1980s, when the Iran hostage crisis revealed the need for an airframe that could move quickly and hover or land like a helicopter, Bauernfeind said.

And it meets that need quite well, but it’s still an older platform, he said. “I think it’s time for us to start talking about the next generation of capabilities that can replace what the V-22 does.”

The United States carried out a second round of humanitarian aid airdrops in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, as the Biden administration continued efforts to prevent a wider humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territory.

U.S. Air Force cargo planes dropped 36,800 ready-to-eat meals in a joint operation with the Jordanian Air Force “to provide essential assistance to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Tuesday. It said army troops trained in airstrikes were part of the airdrop, and that it was planning more such missions.

Some aid experts and humanitarian groups have criticized the US airborne landings as insufficient and largely symbolic, given the scale of the hunger problem facing Gaza after five months of war. Cargo planes can carry only a fraction of the food that a convoy of trucks can deliver, experts say, and a better solution would be for the United States to convince Israel to open more border crossings and speed up inspections.

Tuesday’s operation followed a first round of airborne landings on Saturday, two days after more than a hundred Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces opened fire around a convoy of aid trucks in northern Gaza.

Doctors at hospitals in Gaza said most of the casualties were the result of gunfire. The Israeli military said most of the victims were trampled as they tried to seize the cargo, although Israeli officials acknowledged that troops had shot at people they said had threatened them.

After the convoy killings, President Biden said the United States would find new ways to get aid to Palestinians in desperate need because of Israel’s five-month military campaign to destroy Hamas. Only a trickle of aid has reached northern Gaza by land, but aid groups have criticized airdrops as ineffective. The amount of aid delivered by a French plane in an airborne landing last week was far less than a single truckload.

Although Mr Biden has begged Israel, which has largely sealed off its border with Gaza, to clear the way for more aid deliveries, demand for food, water and medicine there remains huge. These circumstances have put political pressure on Mr. Biden to do more to help the Palestinians, even as the U.S. supplies Israel with military equipment.

Despite his frustrations with Israel’s political leadership, Biden has not threatened to impose limits on US military aid to the country.

Do you dream of a world trip, but do you feel limited by your annual leave – and budget?

You may be surprised to learn that it is possible to visit 30 destinations in seven countries in 55 days, with just 25 days of vacation per year. And the total travel costs? Less than £1,400.

The itinerary was created by Jack’s Flight Club, a flight deal subscription service, which distributes it in five separate public holidays in 2024, spread across key dates that take advantage of UK public holidays Easter until May public holiday and Christmas.

It also combines flight deals and Trainline prices to create a trip with a starting price of €1,358. This includes return flights to various European locations and New York, as well as all internal train fares to each destination.

Here’s how it works…

EASTER – 16 DAYS EUROPEAN ADVENTURE

This 16-day break uses just eight days of vacation and covers 11 cities in four countries from March 23 to April 7.

Fly from London Stansted to Cologne, Germany, then take the train to Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Bonn, before returning to Cologne for your return flight.

According to Jack’s Flight Club, flights start from £30 return for a 1 hour 15 minute flight with Ryanair.

Annual leave dates to book: March 25, 26, 27, 28 and April 2, 3, 4, 5.

Total trip cost: from £201 per person.

USA TRIP FOR EARLY MAY BANK HOLIDAY

Use just four vacation days for a nine-day trip in the US from May 4 to 12.

Book a return flight from London Gatwick to JFK Airport and explore New York City. Then hop on the train to explore Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC before returning to the Big Apple for your flight home.

According to Jack’s Flight Club, airfares start from £400 return for an eight-hour flight on Virgin Atlantic or British Airways.

Annual leave dates to book: May 7, 8, 9, 10.

Total trip cost: from £442 per person.

SPRING BANK HOLIDAY IN ITALY

Enjoy a nine-day break with just four vacation days and explore five cities across Italy from May 25 to June 2.

Fly from Manchester to Milan Malpensa and then embark on an interrailing odyssey through the beautiful Italian countryside, stopping at the cities of Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Milan.

Flights start from £200 return for a two-hour flight with Ryanair, according to Jack’s Flight Club.

Annual leave dates to book: May 28, 29, 30, 31.

Total trip cost: from £303 per person.

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA AND IN MONACO

This nine-day break takes advantage of four vacation days and covers four cities in the south of France, plus Monaco, from August 24 to September 1.

Fly from London Gatwick or Stansted to Marseille, then take the train to Toulon, Cannes, Nice and Monaco before returning to Marseille for your return flight.

Flights start from £130 return for a one hour and 55 minute flight with Ryanair, according to Jack’s Flight Club.

Annual leave dates to book: August 27, 28, 29, 30.

Total trip cost: from £217 per person.

CHRISTMAS – FESTIVE FUN IN SWITZERLAND

Use five vacation days for this twelve-day festive holiday in Switzerland from December 21 to January 1 – or January 2 for Scots, making it 13 days.

Book a return flight from Great Britain (London Gatwick, London Stansted, Glasgow or Edinburgh) to Geneva and then explore the country by train, stopping in Lausanne, Fribourg, Bern and Neuchâtel before returning to Geneva.

Flights start from £140 return with British Airways, KLM or Jet2 and take two to four hours depending on your airport and airline of choice.

Annual leave dates to book: December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31.

Total travel costs: From € 195 per person.

Katy Maclure, editor of Jack’s Flight Club’s weekly newsletter The Detour, said: ‘Many people often feel limited by the amount of time they can take off from work.

‘Choosing the right days to book a holiday can be stressful for some as people put pressure on themselves to make the most of their time off.

‘We understand the value of a good holiday and believe everyone should have the opportunity to travel more during their precious annual holiday.’

For more information visit Jack’s Flight Club.

The next time you see fire trucks aiming at an airplane, fear not, because this is probably a cause for celebration rather than a fire.

An aviation expert from Schiphol Airport has shed light on an insider tradition known as the ‘water cannon salute’, in which jets of water create an ‘arc’ for planes to pass under.

In a YouTube videoAirside operations specialist Edward de Kruijf explains that most of the time it is done as a ‘tribute’ to a special occasion, such as ‘a new aircraft on the rise’ or the ‘arrival of Olympic athletes’.

He reveals that arranging the salute takes quite a bit of planning, as two fire engines have to be positioned in the right place so that the water can line up with the plane’s arrival.

The Schiphol Airport website also notes that ‘wind direction must be taken into account and the process must be coordinated together with air traffic control’.

Once free, they note how important it is that the pilot makes an announcement about the water salute to the passengers, “otherwise the sight of fire engines and flashing lights just after landing could cause panic.”

In the YouTube video, Edward reveals that the water salute is quite a spectacle for the air traffic control team who can see it ‘from above’, along with the passengers on board.

In some cases the water salutes have not gone to plan and in Saudi Arabia one of the fire engines struck the left side of the aircraft forcing an emergency exit hatch located above the wing to open.

The incident, which occurred in 2018, triggered a main alarm that alerted the flight crew to what was happening and allowed them to stop the aircraft.

One passenger, who had been sitting in a window seat next to the hatch, suffered minor injuries as a result of the accident but was able to continue his journey.

According to a statement from the General Aviation Authority (GAA) of the United Arab Emirates, there was a technical defect in one of the hoses.

A firefighter had attempted to select a high-pressure setting on the hose, which would cause the water arc to appear in the style of a traditional salute, but the hose did not respond properly.

On a lighter note, if all goes to plan, the Schiphol Airport team says that “with a little luck and a ray of sunshine you might even see a rainbow” when a water salute takes place.

According to the aviation website Easy flyingThe tradition of saluting with water cannons can be traced back to the maritime industry.

It notes: ‘In the 19th and 20th centuries, when ships were launched on their maiden voyages (and usually upon arrival at their first port), fireboats marked the occasion with an arc of water.

‘The water cannon salute quickly became a tradition.’

It is believed that the tradition was adopted by the aviation industry in the 1990s.

The site points to an unverified report, which states: “A Delta Air Lines captain had just landed in Salt Lake City on his last flight before retirement.

‘The fire brigade unit at that airport started spraying water over the plane as a token of appreciation for a great career.

“From there, the practice spread like wildfire.”

The Schiphol Airport website emphasizes that firefighters ensure that there is sufficient water in their tanks during each water salute in case they actually have to extinguish a fire.

The experts conclude: ‘As much as we love our traditions… safety always comes first.’

A Palestinian ‘terrorist’ who hijacked two planes and branded Hamas soldiers responsible for the October 7 attacks as ‘freedom fighters’ could be coming to Australia.

Leila Khaled has been listed as a keynote speaker at the Ecosocialism event in Perth in June, organized by the Socialist Alliance and Green Left.

However, members of the Jewish Australian community have called for her to be banned from entering Australia due to her complicated history as a prominent member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The now elderly woman is still a member of the extremist Marxist group known for hijacking planes, murders and suicide bombings.

The PFLP is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Canada, while Australia has imposed financial sanctions on the group.

The Australian Jewish Association condemned Ms Khaled’s appearance on Ecosocialism in a tweet on Monday.

‘What a great illustration of the fusion of hard-left politics and radical ‘Palestinian’ activism [and] terrorism, in this case aircraft hijacking,” the report said.

The PFLP rose to worldwide prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a result of a series of aircraft hijackings and bombings.

Ms. Khaled was involved in at least two of the group’s hijackings.

In 1969, she helped hijack Trans World Airlines Flight 840, which was traveling from Rome, Italy, to Tel Aviv, Israel, because the group believed the Israeli ambassador to the United States was on board.

No one was injured in the attack, but the hijackers blew up the nose of the plane.

Ms. Khaled was involved in a second hijacking a year later when she attempted to hijack El Al Flight 219 from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to New York City, United States.

She, together with another co-hijacker, threatened to detonate grenades in the plane if the pilot did not allow them into the cockpit.

Gunshots were fired and the plane nosedived before landing.

The Sydney Morning Herald claims the Albanian government has indicated it will not allow Ms Khaled to enter Australia.

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, a government spokesperson said they were “aware of this matter.”

‘The Migration Act is clear. “All people applying for visas, wherever they come from, are required to undergo security checks – as has been the case under all governments,” they said.

“The government cannot comment on individual cases.”

Ecosocialism organizers have stated that if Ms Khaled is refused entry into Australia, she will still be invited to speak at the conference via video chat.

The Ecosocialism 2024 website describes Ms Khaled as an “iconic Palestinian revolutionary activist, member of the national committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a representative in the Palestinian National Council.”

The government spokesman warned Ms Khaled could be prosecuted if she is found to be inciting terrorism in Australia, even if she speaks from another country.

‘Promoting terrorism is a criminal offence [under] Section 80.2 of the Criminal Code,” they said.

“The offense of advocating terrorism may apply even if the person is overseas, provided the consequence of the conduct occurs in Australia. As such, it may even apply if a person appears online rather than in person in Australia.

‘In addition, the Albanian government’s banned symbols legislation, which came into force last month, makes it an offense under Commonwealth law to glorify or praise acts of terrorism.’

More to come.

When choosing to buy a car, safety is an important factor for many buyers. Some pilots also choose seats close to the exits, partly because they are easier to leave in the event of an accident.

But the safest place to sit on several popular forms of public transport is rarely considered, despite some sections posing less risk than others in the event of an accident, with the choice potentially making the difference between life and death.

Car journeys have a relatively high risk in terms of deaths per year, with 1,711 road fatalities in 2022, according to final estimates in a government report.

Of these, 44 percent of fatalities were car occupants, 22 percent pedestrians, 20 percent motorcyclists and 5 percent cyclists.

In aviation accidents there is also a relatively high chance that the passenger will die; the European Transport Safety Council estimated in a 1996 study that only 90 percent of aircraft crashes were technically survivable.

But fortunately, new technologies and advances in designs are pushing vehicle safety in the right direction every year.

Here, MailOnline looks at the safest place to sit on different types of vehicles if you are involved in an accident on the road.

The back of an airplane

When booking a flight, most people choose seats for legroom, to sit next to the window or to be closer to the exits.

People rarely choose the middle seats in the last row, but statistically they have been shown to be the safest.

A TIME study of 35 years of airplane crash data found that the middle rear seats of a plane had the lowest fatality rate at 28 percent, compared to aisle seats at 44 percent.

Seats in the rear third had a mortality rate of 32 percent, compared to 39 percent in the middle third and 38 percent in the front third.

After an accident, passengers near an exit are more likely to escape alive, according to a 2008 study from the University of Greenwich.

The middle carriage of a train

Several studies have suggested that broken rails or welds are the leading cause of derailments on main tracks, and these problems are more likely to cause derailments at the front of the train.

Overall, choosing a seat in the middle cars may be the safest option in the event of a collision, Ross Capon, president of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, told CBS New York.

“If you have a head-on collision or a rear-end collision, you're probably safer,” Capon said.

If you're making a seating decision based on safety, experts also suggested avoiding window seats, with Capon speculating that “you're more likely to be turned away if you sit next to the window.”

Safety experts also recommend that those who choose a rear-facing seat are less likely to be thrown forward in the event of a collision.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, trains are more likely to hit something from the side than head-on or from behind.

The middle back seat of a car

Data from a 2008 study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, which examined the survival rates of passenger car occupants involved in a fatal crash between 2000 and 2003, showed that the middle rear seat is safer than any other occupant position. also.

It showed that overall, second-row seats have a 29.1 percent greater chance of survival than front-row seats. The middle rear seat has a 25 percent greater chance of survival compared to the other rear seat positions.

Occupants in the middle rear seat were found to have a 13 percent better chance of survival in a fatal accident than passengers in other seats in that row.

The Australasian New Car Safety Assessment Program (ANCAP) also found that a passenger sitting in the middle rear seat is also less likely to come into contact with the vehicle in a crash, as reported in the Australian Drive publication.

But this seating position is also less likely to be equipped with advanced seat belt pretensioners and force limiters than the outboard rear seats.

In the event of a collision, a seat belt pretensioner ensures that the seat belt is tightened early in the collision. The load limiter operates once the force reaches a certain level, releasing the tension so that the passenger does not suffer any seat belt-related injuries.

The front passenger seat is more likely to be affected by crash forces than the rear seat, but in some cars this can be compensated for by the higher levels of protection for this seating position, such as seat belt pretensioners, force limiters and airbags. .

The technology means that in some vehicles the front passenger seat can be considered safer than the rear seat.

Based on ANCAP testing, third-row seats in three-row cars tend to have fewer safety features than those in the second row.

Several third-row seats are considered “part-time” seats and as such have worse geometry than second-row seats, both for safety and passenger comfort.

In addition, in some three-row cars, the curtain airbags do not cover the rear row passengers.

If the car is hit from behind in a crash, third-row passengers would not have as much room to survive as the first and second rows, ANCAP findings show.

In the middle of a bus and furthest from traffic

According to Business Insider, passengers are advised to sit on the opposite side of traffic to avoid out-of-control vehicles that have crossed that lane.

Seats at the front and back of a bus are more dangerous in a crash, with the safest seat typically being between the tires in the middle.

Passengers seated in the middle of the cabin also have more distance from potential hazards such as windows and exits, according to Sege Seats.

For those traveling on a double-decker bus, Lo Kok-keung, an experienced engineer and instructor in road accident reconstruction training at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, told the South China Morning Post that the middle section of the lower deck was relatively safe for passengers in the event of an accident.

“The area is closer to the vehicle's center of gravity, so passengers will absorb less vibration and impact force if the vehicle collides with something,” Lo said.

'If the vehicle suddenly brakes or crashes into something, the inertia will push people forward. Front passengers could be thrown through the windshield and fall in front of the vehicle. Those in the middle will likely hit the seats in front of them but remain in the vehicle,” he said.

Lo also noted that the upper deck was certainly not the safest part.

He said: 'The higher you are off the ground, the more likely you are to be injured if a vehicle rolls over.'

Lower decks or cabins of a boat

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) received reports of 1,263 accidents (casualties and incidents) involving British ships worldwide or ships in British coastal waters in 2022, involving a total of 1,351 ships.

The MAIB investigates all types of maritime accidents on or on board British ships worldwide, and other ships in British territorial waters.

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has noted the dangers of passengers becoming dislodged from the front of a ship when a boat is traveling at high speed, as the forces are more intense there.

An RYA spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The decision about where to sit on the powerboat will vary from vessel to vessel, depending on the specific features of the vessel and seating arrangements.

'Passengers should not be in the forward part of the ship and should sit comfortably around amidships. They should have good handles and face forward, and should not be on the sides of the ship.'

According to Business Insider, the lower decks and cabin are the safest places on a passenger boat. In rough seas, the lower decks pose less risk of injury from flying objects.

Passengers in the cabin are advised to take shelter from flying objects in the corridor.

Having worked in the aviation industry for almost twenty years, including overseeing cabin crew teams as a manager on board the world's largest commercial aircraft, the A380, I have had first-hand experience of the inconsistent standards of aircraft cleanliness, ranging from good to bad. to downright disgusting.

Cleaning aircraft is very unpredictable. Even airlines known for their hygiene standards fly to airports where they do not have full control over the contracted cleaning company. Unfortunately, these cleaning services often follow the practice of overcharging and underpaying their staff, resulting in a lack of motivation to do a thorough job.

This in turn leads to the airline's hygiene standards not being fully adhered to for flights returning to the main base.

Because of these unpredictable standards, I find it difficult to fully trust airline cleaning practices, and as a passenger I prefer to take matters into my own hands.

Here is some of the best advice for someone who is picky about air cleanliness.

Try to book an early flight; the first to leave are the cleanest

In addition to being more likely to be on time, early flights on short-haul routes are also usually the cleanest.

Most airlines operating domestic and short-haul flights adhere to tight schedules, limiting the time aircraft spend on the ground.

During the day there is only time for light spot cleaning, with some airlines relying on cabin crew to keep the cabin presentable until the aircraft reaches its final destination for the night stop, with the aircraft being cleaned more thoroughly in preparation for the flight. next morning.

Use blankets to cover chairs – not yourself

This tip is especially useful for long flights, especially in economy class.

Airlines often provide pillows and blankets for international travel. Although these essentials are cleaned before each flight, I have made a habit of using the provided blanket as a seat cover as seats are not cleaned between flights.

On several occasions, passengers have complained of being seated on clean seats, only to find that the cushion under the cover was dirty and damp from the previous flight.

Lazy cleaners often replace only the top layer and not the entire pillow, which means the pillow may still be stained from bodily fluids such as drool, sweat, and blood.

I suggest avoiding the included pillows in economy class for anything other than back support.

Pro crew tip: Bring your own personally cleaned, compact travel blanket and pillow set. If you are using the provided bedding, check the pillow under the pillowcase and inspect the blanket before using it. A quick sniff test can help determine if they have been cleaned properly. During my time in the air, I encountered many sour-smelling pillows and blankets.

The carpet may be dirty

Before placing your bags on the floor, carefully inspect your floor space, especially under the seats, as cleaners often miss these areas.

In a recent incident during a transatlantic Air France flight last June, a couple noticed a horrible odor under their belongings on the floor during the flight. Upon inspection, they discovered that the carpet on which their belongings had been placed was contaminated with blood and feces from a passenger on the previous flight who had suffered extreme bleeding. Despite the incident being reported to the airline, the cleaners had overlooked the carpet under the seat.

Pro crew tip: For an extra layer of protection, use the plastic wrapping from the included blanket to cover the bottom of your bag. If you notice any serious cleaning issues during boarding, inform the crew immediately while the door is still open. That way they have more options to deal with the situation.

Keep your shoes on

After the previous point about the cleanliness of airplane carpets, this advice may seem obvious, but it is one of the biggest annoyances for flight attendants: passengers walking around barefoot.

If you enter a restroom without shoes, you can be sure that we will watch with a sense of disgust, fully aware of what we probably just cleaned from that floor before you entered. Just as you wouldn't walk through a public restroom without shoes, the same principle applies to an airplane restroom.

Foot odor poses a real threat to air quality on flights. I have encountered situations where the odor coming from someone's bare feet was so overpowering that I had to discreetly spray perfume in that area. There were also cases when the substance was so toxic that I had to wake passengers and subtly discuss the matter, explaining that their foot odor caused discomfort to others and that it was necessary to wear their shoes.

Pro crew tip: Consider packing travel slippers in your carry-on luggage. Many hotels offer them as room amenities. If you are confident that your feet are free of unpleasant odors, these slippers can provide a more comfortable and hygienic alternative to shoes.

Clean your seating area

A pro tip that many flight attendants swear by is disinfecting your seating area.

Many of us carry disinfectant wipes in our bags so that we thoroughly clean every touchable surface around our seat, including the seat itself if it is made of wipe-clean material.

Key areas not to miss include tray tables, entertainment screens and controls. I also pay attention to wiping down my seatbelt buckle and the AC controls. One area I stay away from is the backseat pocket, as it often harbors all kinds of unpleasant surprises, from dirty tissues and diapers to full puke bags. For this reason I don't put my phone or personal items in it. If I have to use something from my pocket, I use a round of hand sanitizer afterward.

For more information from Jay, visit www.instagram.com/aflyguytravels And www.facebook.com/aflyguyslounge.