While this setup sounds suspiciously similar to what some people would consider Hell, Thomson maintains that the restaurant-like atmosphere will be ideal for families, because parents will be able to sit across from their children, allowing them to pull ears and waggle fingers directly, instead of reaching over the poor woman who's on her fourth connection of the day who just wants to read her Clive Cussler novel in peace. This restaurant arrangement has some basis in practice because, as we all know, children never misbehave in restaurants.
Thomson Airways
"I swear this is totally not the face of someone that just flushed our passports
when he went to the bathroom. Promise."
As for travelers who don't have children, it will likely mean a lot of awkward eye-contact and forced small-talk, increased ticket prices since they won't be able to fit as many people in the cabin, and for the unlucky bastards who get stuck facing backwards, extra motion sickness, since everything will be moving in the opposite direction that your brain is expecting. Whether or not the standby list will be replaced with those little vibrating alarms, however, remains unclear.