Have you ever noticed that some planes don’t have a row marked 13? Henny Lim, a flight attendant, recently shared a video on TikTok and explained why some planes don’t have a 13th row. She said that in many cultures people associate number 13 with bad luck.
She added, “As airlines prefer to respect their passengers’ superstitions they remove the number from the seating plans”. Lim even shared that many airlines worldwide have considered not including a 13th row due to the bad luck the number is believed to bring.
Lim informed the fear of the number is called triskaidekaphobia. Barry Markovsky, a sociology professor at the University of South Carolina, said that the origin of these superstitions is uncertain and speculative.
According to Professor Markovsky, the bad omen surrounding the number 13 originated from its contrast with the positive associations of the number 12. He noted that 12 is commonly regarded as lucky and represents completeness, evident in its association with the months of the year and the number of zodiac signs.
The USC Professor expanded on how the number 13 is viewed negatively due to beliefs from Norse mythology and Christianity. Many airlines, such as Air France, Iberia and Ryanair, avoid having a 13th row on their planes. A spokesperson from Ryanair highlighted that this practice stems from an American manufacturing tradition.
But it’s not only the 13th row that’s sometimes skipped on aeroplanes. The number 17 is also considered unlucky, especially in Italy. This belief comes from how, when written in Roman numerals as XVII, it spells out VIXI, which means I have lived in Latin, suggesting my life is over.
A representative from the German airline Lufthansa explained, “In certain countries such as Italy and Brazil, people consider the number 17 unlucky, not 13.” He also mentioned, “Because Lufthansa serves many passengers from around the world, we aim to respect different cultural beliefs as best as we can.”
United Airlines Polaris does not include rows 13 or 14. In China, row 14 is considered unlucky because it sounds like “will die” in Chinese.
Lim often talks about her life as a flight attendant, telling interesting things about flying. Recently, she explained the secret behind black triangle stickers on aeroplanes. Lim explained that the triangles help the flight crew know the best spots to check the wings for the slats and flaps outside.
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