New Airplane Seat Cover by Sure Fit
August 16, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Home & Living
Sure Fit, masters of sofa disguise, are hoping their magic touch extends to airplane and bus seats as well. They’ve developed a new travel accessory: Stretch Piqué Transit Cover.
While no airplane seat cover maker can guarantee you won’t get sick, a little prevention can’t hurt. The new seat cover by Sure Fit is designed to place a comfortable barrier between you and the seat’s previous users. The soft stretchy suede material of the Stretch Piqué Transit Cover looks to fit more tightly than competitor PlaneSheets.
The Sure Fit cover includes a headrest pillow pocket to keep your travel pillow from slipping. It’s also small, fitting in briefcases or other little bags. The cover fits most commercial plane seats, as well as bus seats. It sells for $14.99.
Of course, the transit cover is machine washable to allow you to keep blocking out germs. I always feel like washing anything that’s been in the airplane cabin with me.
Do you use airplane or bus seat covers?
(Image via Sure Fit)
It’s unlikely that these will be permitted to be used on an airplane. There are strict regulations about what can be attached to the plane, and as these slip over (which sounds like attached to me), until and unless they receive FAA approval, they will not be permitted. I checked out their website, and didn’t see anything to indicate that they have received this approval.
It’s not that airlines want to interfere with your ability to keep clean, it’s that every single component of the aircraft must be very strict safety regulations, including, among other things, that seat components must be fire retardant.
Plane Sheets was able to gain FAA approval for inflight use. That product drapes, rather than attaches, to the seat, and this may have been part of the reasoning.
Mary Jo, I’m not sure about the FAA approval. I’ll see what I can find out.
Mary Jo,
Here’s the response I received from the SureFit rep/pr person:
The transit cover is not approved by the FAA. Sure Fit found that there is no criteria prohibiting any textiles for carry on or use.
There are regulations in regards to textiles but are due more to cushions/permanent items:
The FAA 25.853 is a flammability test for compartment interiors particularly foam seat cushions and their dress materials. 25.853 states its’ purpose: This Advisory Circular provides guidance material for demonstrating compliance with the Federal Aviation Regulations.
LOL. Okay, I’m really laughing at their response, and while this could be a great product, they clearly don’t understand the airline industry or regulatory control.
You can’t attach anything to an airline that doesn’t meet FAA approval. You can drape something, you can spread something, you can sit on something. But you can’t tightly attach something to an airplane seat absent FAA approval.
It seems like hardly a day goes by that I don’t see some product brought on board, with passengers asserting claims that the manufacturer has made that it can be used on board, during flight, whatever. Unfortunately these claims are misguided, and only the airline and the FAA can approve these types of products for use.
Until Plane Sheets got their regulatory issues sorted out, we had a directive from the airlines that they were not allowed to be used. They went through the hoops and are no longer prohibited. Maybe Sure Fit will do the same.