As you might expect, it’s all about safety.
Why do I have to keep my tray up during takeoff and landing?
Flying in a commercial plane is statistically the safest way to travel. But takeoff and landing are by far the riskiest parts of a flight, Business Insider explained.
For instance, even though takeoff and the plane’s initial climb only account for 2% of the overall flight, over 14% of reported accidents happen in these short stages.
This is part of the reason why the tray rule was introduced, Captain Steve Schreiber, a former pilot who posts on social media under the name Captain Steeeve, said in a YouTube Short.
“If you have to get off the plane in an emergency and in a hurry, if your tray table is down, you might not get out of that plane in 90 seconds,” which is the maximum length many regulatory bodies require evacuations to last, he said.
Additionally, you might block or slow down the people behind you, causing a pile-up or delay.
Speaking to Travel + Leisure, ex-flight attendant Kelly Kincaid said the same thing: tray tables have to “be up for takeoff and landing so that [they] won’t block you from evacuating in the event of an emergency”.
And, she stated, folding up your tray table also means you have to put the things you had resting on it (like your laptop or coffee) away, meaning there could be fewer potentially dangerous projectiles in the event of an emergency.
That’s also why you can’t recline your seat during takeoff and landing
Keeping channels to emergency exits clear is key for passenger safety, especially during the parts of a flight most vulnerable to accidents.
Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, a spokesperson for the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Flight Operations Specialist Group explained: “There are two primary safety-related reasons why aircraft seats must be in the upright position for take-off and landing.
“The first is that the seat gives the occupant maximum impact protection when upright, and its structure locks into position accordingly… The second reason is that reclined seats reduce the space available in the row behind for occupants to escape quickly if an emergency evacuation is required.”