Airport seating (original) (raw)

An "airport chair" or "airport seating" is a public seating area at an airport. Robert Sommer studied the design of airport seating and concluded that the arrangement of chairs in rigid lines bolted to the floor was deliberately sociofugal — discouraging social interaction such as conversation and encouraging the sitters to go to commercial locations such as shops and cafes. The provision of arms on the chairs increased the usage of the chairs, as compared with bench seats without armrests. Strangers are more comfortable sitting adjacent each other if there is an armrest to mark their personal space. The parallel orientation of the modular seat units also minimizes face-to-face contact, making it seem less threatening for strangers.