Plane crash in Madrid - Why were so many people on board?

Question

I know that the American Airlines MD-80 can carry 132 people... how can 172 people possibly be on board this flight that crashed? Okay now I guess since the other company was probably a discount carrier with no first class... but that's still 40 people more! How can a company put so many people on board? Wouldn't that be an evacuation hazard? Would more have survived if they weren't so cramped???

Answer 1

The airlines sometimes decide to extend a airbus or Boeing, maybe 15 more seats, maybe 100.  The plane was an international flight and most of AA international flights are full.

Answer 2

The MD-80 series aircraft have a 1 class seating capacity of 172 passengers. Then there is the crew. Since the crash happened so quickly after takeoff, it is miraculous that any survived.

Answer 3

Actually the MD-80 has a seating capacity of 172 persons.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series are twin-engine, medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airplanes. The MD-80 aircraft was originally part of the DC-9 line when first delivered before being later renamed. The MD-80 series have seating capacity up to 172 passengers. They have a common cabin layout that seats 140 passengers on scheduled flights and 161 or 165 on low-cost or charter flights.

Answer 4

max can be 172+ for an MD-80 series. all depends on how it is packed in there! also remember that "carrying x*x people" includes crew.

It was a short hop flight - excursion to Canary Islands, so probably had minimum everything except seats! There is  'high density' seating options for these - when I was at Douglas (the D in MD), it was very nonPC called the "j*p pack". as it was mostly Asian airlines that ordered that configuration.