Damas, I notice that blue is a frequent color in airplane seats. Is it just a coincidence?
No. Choosing a color is a matter of practical and psychological reasons.
Blue in seats of airplanes is the most practical color when we consider cleanliness. It allows stains to blend into the fabric more discreetly. White and yellow, for example, would not be as easy to deal with.
So why not black? It would be easier to disguise blemishes.
Not always. This color could even highlight them.
There’s one other reason they don’t choose black, and here comes the psychological part I mentioned above.
Blue is world widely associated with peace and tranquility. It gives us a sense of calm that is very convenient when dealing with the common fear of flying. Imagine if most of the interior of an airplane was black. There would not be the same mental comfort. For this same thought, you don’t paint black your bedroom walls.
We can also think of the third logic for blue seats: this may be the predominant color in the airline’s image. The logo, for example, is blue, so the seats match it. Note that this brings us back to that second cause for using the color: to transmit peaceful thoughts. The company is predominantly blue in everything because it needs you to feel comfortable, especially when buying a ticket.
I wish you a pleasant flight, be it in blue or any other color.
G.P. DAMAS
» I live in the Algarve (South of Portugal).
» My first fiction books, for young adults, were published in the early 2000s in Portuguese — a time travel adventure and a drama about child adoption, both with thousands of readers. I also wrote books and guides about travel and technology. Screenplays are my greatest passion.
» This blog is the English version of my G.P. DAMAS (Portuguese language, online since 2010). English is not my native language.
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