Don't believe that viral tweet about the backless seats on the EasyJet flight

Buckle up, folks, you're in for a wild ride. A tweet claiming that EasyJet had introduced "backless seats" in its flights went viral on Tuesday, garnering 3.9K retweets and 5K likes and propelling the airline's name to the top of Twitter trending. So, has EasyJet really allowed backless seats on its flight? According to their spokesperson, the answer to that question is a categorical no. "How can this be allowed," asked original poster, Matthew Harris, who is, per his Twitter bio, the president and CEO of smart trade show event company Konduko. > easyjet beats @Ryanair to have backless seats. @IATA @EASA this is flight 2021 Luton to Geneva. How can this be allowed. @GeneveAeroport @easyJet_press @easyJet pic.twitter.com/EthMoWRR8P> > -- Matthew Harris (@mattiasharris) August 6, 2019Scroll through the replies to the original tweet and you'll spot a flurry of replies from EasyJet -- the first of which asks Harris to remove the photograph in the tweet. You'll also spot an onslaught of comments from members of the public who were quick to criticise EasyJet for this, before the tide of criticism shifted as the story developed.  > Hi Matthew, thanks for bringing this to our attention, before we can investigate this could I ask you to remove the photograph & then DM us more info regarding this, so we can best assist you. Ross https://t.co/Qq2zhBAizh> > -- easyJet (@easyJet) August 6, 2019Harris refused to delete the photo and then tweeted a photo of the flightpath, stating: "This is a real photo of a plane currently descending to Geneva." > Absolutely not. This is a real photo of a plane currently decending to Geneva pic.twitter.com/BULiB4H3jt> > -- Matthew Harris (@mattiasharris) August 6, 2019EasyJet explained in a press statement that the woman pictured in Harris' first photo was not permitted to sit in the "backless" seat, which was actually just a broken seat awaiting repair. "No passengers were permitted to sit in these seats as they were inoperative awaiting repair," reads the statement."Safety is our highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all safety guidelines."SEE ALSO: How to sleep on a planeMashable has reached out for additional information.> I have the following update: No passengers were permitted to sit in these seats as they were inoperative awaiting repair. Safety is our highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all safety guidelines. - Dan> > -- easyJet (@easyJet) August 6, 2019Harris posted a follow-up tweet, stating that his partner took the photo. "One has to wonder how safe the rest of the plane was," he wrote. He added that the woman moved to a spare seat once everyone had boarded the plane. > One has to wonder how safe the rest of the plane was. This was her seat. The lady was moved to a spare seat once the flight was fully boarded. Not sure what would have happened if the flight was full. > > My partner took the photo. > > -- end --> > -- Matthew Harris (@mattiasharris) August 6, 2019Harris he did not respond immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment. WATCH: This 'hybrid drone' can hover like a helicopter and fly like a plane -- Future Blink