In the summer of 2023, a spokesperson for United Airlines named Linda Jojo shared an interesting fact about the company. She mentioned that some of their planes don’t have a row 13. This was mentioned in a story in the Washington Post about United adding Braille signs to help passengers with vision problems. Without A row 13, it could be hard for blind passengers to find their seats by counting rows.
If you look at United’s planes, you’ll see this is true. For example, rows 13 and 14 are missing on the Boeing 777-200, and rows 12 to 14 are missing on the Airbus A319. Even on the Airbus A320, there’s no row 13.
You might wonder if United is superstitious. Maybe, but there are other reasons why they, and other airlines, skip the 13th row on flights.
According to Travel + Leisure, airlines skip row numbers to make their seating arrangements consistent. For instance, the Boeing 737 doesn’t have rows 4, 5, or 6, so they can have more room for rows 1, 2, and 3, which are in first class. They might also skip rows to make it easier to book seats and to have an even number for the last row, like 30 or 40. Sometimes, they don’t use certain row numbers for exit rows.
Skipping rows also helps airlines avoid using the number 13, which some people consider unlucky. Other airlines, like Lufthansa and Ryanair, also skip row 13. Some airlines avoid other numbers that different cultures find unlucky. For example, flights to and from Italy and Brazil might skip row 17 because of its negative meanings. In China, 14 is avoided, so flights to or from China might not have a row 14.
However, not all airlines do this. Delta’s Airbus A220-100, for instance, has a row 13.
Why is 13 Considered Unlucky?
Many businesses don’t use the number 13. Some hotels don’t have a 13th floor, and some people avoid big events on the 13th day of the month, especially if it’s a Friday. But why do people think 13 is unlucky?
In Norse mythology, the god of mischief, Loki, caused trouble at a dinner party in Valhalla, making the number of guests 13. Also, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th person to arrive at the Last Supper.
Friday has also been seen as unlucky in history. In the Bible, bad things happened on Fridays, like Cain killing Abel and Adam and Eve disobeying God.
There are other reasons too. For example, there are usually 13 steps to a gallows and 13 witches in a coven.
There’s no real proof that having a row 13 on a plane makes accidents more likely. But some superstitious people might mention a famous crash that happened on a Friday the 13th in 1972. It was in the Andes and is known for the survivors having to eat the bodies of their dead friends to stay alive.
