The Strange Explanation For Airplane Seats Almost Always Being Blue

When you picture an airplane seat in your head, what color is it? Blue, right? The upholstery almost always seems to be blue on commercial airliners, with very few exceptions. But why is this? Is it simply because blue’s the color of the sky — or is there something else going on?

Solid reasoning

Well, it turns out there’s much more to it than that. Most airlines opt to use blue seats in their planes for very solid reasons. It isn’t just a random choice on the part of decision-makers, then, but one that takes us into the realms of business planning, practicality, and human psychology.

Exceptions

It’s worth noting some of the exceptions before proceeding here, though. After all, there are some pretty notable ones. Let’s take Virgin Atlantic, for instance. Passengers sit on red fabric aboard those planes, while on Aer Lingus the seats are green — the color of the airline’s home nation of Ireland.

Blue, blue, and blue

Still, the vast majority of plane seating tends to be blue, at least when it comes to economy class. American Airlines? Blue. United Airlines? Blue. Southwest Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Delta Air Lines? Blue, blue, and blue. But why? It can’t just be an aesthetic decision on the part of airline execs, so what gives?

Meticulous detail

Everything about the interior of a plane’s carefully considered. So it isn’t just the shade of the upholstery that needs to be taken into account. The types of materials used, the positions of the seats in relation to the windows — all of it needs to be planned out with meticulous precision.