So does German carrier Lufthansa. “Rows 13 and 17 are missing because these are considered unlucky numbers #bettersafethansorry,” Lufthansa said in a 2017 tweet, accompanied by a wink emoji. United Airlines doesn't have a row 13 or 14 either, with row 14 considered unlucky as it sounds like “will die” in Chinese.

Lufthansa purposefully skips Row 17 (and often Row 13) on its aircraft as a gesture of cultural respect for international superstitions. While 13 is the well-known "unlucky" number in many Western cultures, the number 17 is considered bad luck in Italy and Brazil. In Italian, the Roman numeral for 17 is XVII, which is an anagram for "VIXI," meaning "I have lived" or "my life is over"—a phrase frequently found on ancient tombstones. Given that Lufthansa is a major global carrier with significant traffic to and from Italy and South America, they choose to omit these rows to ensure that superstitious passengers do not feel uneasy during their flight. By jumping directly from Row 16 to Row 18, the airline avoids potential complaints or requests for seat reassignments from travelers who view the number as a dark omen. This practice of "superstition management" is common among several European and Asian carriers in 2026.