I was on board a VC10 at the RIAT, and got talking to one of the officers on it. He pointed out the fact that the seats were all reversed to the normal front facing that we are used to, and said that it was for safety. He also said that this would be employed on all aircraft were it not for the fact that most people find it unnerving to face the opposite direction to the direction of travel in aircraft, and that the paying public ultimately decide on what becomes 'the norm'.