Aircraft Seat in- and Egress Differences between Elderly and Young Adults

Abstract

An aircraft interior should be adjusted to the needs of elderly, but research data in this area are limited. Especially, in- and egress could be an issue. In this paper differences in strategies between elderly and students are studied in a mock-up by analyzing video recordings of the in- and egress in seat rows. It shows that elderly take significantly more in- and egress time, especially for the non-aisle seat. Elderly also use more often support by touching arm rests and backrests. The in- and egress of PRMs could be improved to give the right support, perhaps by redesign and to assign PRMs to special seats.