We asked travel experts.
Upon boarding a plane , I ’m mostly belike curled up on an economic system - class derriere when I fly . If I ’m close enough to the bulkhead seats , you ’ll likely catch me wistfully gazing into the rows of keister before those belonging to the upper category , whether line or first .
I ’m often only pop the question a peek before boarding is completed and the plane is about to take off , betoken the flight attendants to sop up the mantle and crush my castle in the air .
" It must be a concealment egress , " I think to myself as I wonder why curtain divider are a thing . As it turns out , I was right .
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" pall dividers are designed for seclusion and to separate dissimilar classes of service — like economic system and clientele or first year , " Maddi Bourgerie , travel expert atRVshare , told Thrillist . " They aid create a sense of space and exclusivity for passengers in premium cabin . "
That all nominate mother wit until it does n’t . What ’s the point of induce these curtains when they ultimately allow no legal separation whatsoever ? On TikTok , a telecasting recently went viral verbalize this exact concern .
" I care I knew what was happening in first stratum , " reads the sarcastic overtext . The video recording then pans to a silly - looking mini drapery , the die determination of which seems to be a visual legal separation between first class and saving social class : " Darn this drape divider . "
That drape is otiose if the destination is secrecy or a class interval . So why is it there , then ?
patently , it ’s the event of old age of mutating plane conception , which had to adapt to newfangled safety measures and standards while keeping their original and authentic flair . In short , those curtains were initially conceived as full - on privacy divider , but then they had to adjust to new received practices .
" Back in the ' Golden Years ' of travel , the mid-’50s see an introduction of multi - configure cabin , aka first year and coach , and a manner to part the cabin and create a sensory faculty of privacy was with mantle , " Katy Nastro , travel expert atGoing , explained . " Traditional , stocky curtain were used , but over time and follow 9/11 , the thin , almost mosquito netting we often see today has that physical barrier between class yet still admit the crew to maintain visibleness into all cabins for safety reasonableness . "
Plus , even if they ’re not fully functional in the way they were first intended , they can still be a pleasant addition for some rider looking to have some sorting of compartmentalized section between all different sections of the carpenter’s plane .
" They might be a nice thing to see for some traveller who need a short peace from other passengers , " impart Bourgerie . " We ’ve all seen the viral videos that propagate like wildfire of the ungovernable passengers and chaotic flights . "
Or maybe , as one TikTok user playfully said in the viral video ’s remark section , it ’s a way to protect the higher class - flying rider . " It ’s so [ first course passengers ] do n’t get spook when they turn around and see us poor people . "
