# Seating Plan in the A320

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seating-plan-in-the-a320/1624>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 8, 2000, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seating-plan-in-the-a320/1624 "2000-03-08T04:21:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lamsai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5daacb/32.png) [@Lamsai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamsai)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seating-plan-in-the-a320/1624/1 "2000-03-08T04:21:00Z")

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I have noticed that in the A320 Airbus the seating plan jumps from row 48 to 62 (or close to those numbers). Is there a reason why no continuity in the seating plan?

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seating-plan-in-the-a320/1624/2 "2000-03-08T04:49:00Z")

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Is this question in reference to a Mailbag item, or is it a General Question?

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seating-plan-in-the-a320/1624/3 "2000-03-08T06:52:00Z")

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“In the event of a massive overbooking, the tray attached to the seat in front of you converts into another seat. Thank you.”

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**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seating-plan-in-the-a320/1624/4 "2000-03-08T21:58:00Z")

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A couple of guesses:

1. Most airliners are available in several versions. Usually the first version is followed by larger (i.e. more passenger) versions. These larger versions are created by adding additional sections in the middle of the plane. The wings, nose and tail are unchanged. Smaller versions are sometimes made available by removing sections as well. It’s possible the aircraft you were on was a shorter version of the A320 family and that the missing numbers represent the absent sections.

2. Most airlines have custom interiors for their aircraft. The manufacturer allows for various configurations, allowing more first class seats, longer seat pitch (you wish!), an additional business class, etc. What you saw may have been idiosyncratic to the airline, not the airplane manufacturer, so it’s nothing to do with Airbus. Now we have to figure out why the airlines want to skip row numbers.

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I have the body of a god – Buddha!

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seating-plan-in-the-a320/1624/5 "2000-03-08T22:15:00Z")

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I haven’t found a mailbag item to which this relates, and so I am moving it to General Questions forum.