At times, traveling by flight can be quite tedious. The check-ins, the fear of missing your flight, the long layovers, the stress of catching connecting flights during a short layover, it’s all enough to frustrate you. And when the flights are crowded, there’s a high possibility of tempers running high and passengers snapping at each other over the smallest discomfort.
This poster encountered a similar situation where the flight was jam-packed and everyone wanted to rush to get out as soon as the plane landed. The poster also took his luggage and stood in the aisle when he got into a conflict with other passengers who wanted to collect their luggage as well.
More info: Mumsnet
Man was traveling to LA on a jam-packed flight, and when the seatbelt sign went off, he got his bag down and waited to disembark as he had a connecting flight
Image credits: Pew Nguyen (not the actual photo)
But then, an American lady asked him to move aside so she could collect her luggage from the back and go to her place in the queue again, but he refused as the aisle was narrow
Image credits: Pew Nguyen (not the actual photo)
She started fighting with him, joined by others who wanted their luggage too, but he asked them to sit and wait
Image credits: nappy (not the actual photo)
He refused to move and the luggage was passed over his head by others, it made him ask netizens if he was being unreasonable or whether the disembarking etiquette was different in the US
The story began when the original poster (OP) flew to LA. He said that the flight was so full that the lockers above were immediately occupied with carry-ons. So, as their work goes, flight attendants helped the remaining passengers by keeping their bags wherever there was space in the lockers. The poster had a connecting flight after this. So, when the plane landed and the seatbelt sign went off, he took down his luggage and waited to disembark right in the aisle.
But he was not the only one. Everyone had got up and was scrambling to get to their bags. And the aisle was too narrow and packed with passengers waiting to disembark like OP. While he was waiting, the American lady in front of him turned and said that she needed to get her bags from behind him so that she could come back and take her place in the queue again.
To this, the man refused and said that he was sorry but he couldn’t move as the aisle was narrow and packed with people’s luggage. He also mentioned that she should sit down and wait for some people to disembark so that she’d have space to move. Well, that did not go down well with the woman. She got mad and said, “Fine, if you don’t move I’m going to BLOCK the aisle. We’ll get the flight attendants involved.”
And she was not the only one. Another group of men from the front also needed their bags from the back, so they joined the woman and together, they confronted the man. But the man said that he was already annoyed after the long flight so he told them that waiting was a fact of life and they had to sit and wait. He also emphasized that the aisle was narrow and packed, which was not his fault.
After a while, the issue was resolved coldly, and the luggage from the back was passed over the man’s head. He felt that he was right at the time but when he thought back about it, he pondered if the disembarkment etiquette was different in America. And if it was different, he said he understood why the woman was angry.
Image credits: Jeffry Surianto (not the actual photo)
Fights on planes are pretty common. Rather, the Los Angeles Times has said that bad behavior among airline passengers is on the rise, reaching as much as 47%. And consider a plane going full house with many passengers who have the pressure of catching a connecting flight; well, it’s difficult to be a Zen master in such situations. So, it’s only human to feel frustrated, and it’s no wonder a conflict arose on the poster’s flight.
Bored Panda spoke to a flight attendant, Shanghman Tongsin, who has had 2 years of experience in a renowned airline. She said that usually, passengers who have to rush to a connecting flight avoid getting into conflicts with others as their minds are occupied with catching the next flight. However, it seems that the poster wanted to deplane quickly so he refused to let others move back and forth to collect their bags.
Netizens were quite annoyed by the poster’s behavior. They called him out and said that he was being unreasonable. As he took down his luggage but expected others not to do the same, this action was what bothered the netizens. They said that he was the problem for blocking the aisle and creating the conflict. Shanghman said, “Once the seat belt sign is off it is definitely beyond our control to let guests allow other guests in front to deplane first.” It looks like the man was being a nuisance and troubled the other passengers.
Many of the peeps online also pointed out the fact that people have this mad rush to stand up as soon as the seatbelt sign goes off. They said that they couldn’t fathom this behavior and that people should wait for the front passengers to clear out before the back ones get up. And blocking the aisle and constricting all movement of other passengers seemed outright mean to them. They told the poster that the general etiquette would be to stay seated after taking down his luggage and letting others do the same and move once the front has cleared up.
What the folks told OP sounds to be the right etiquette while deplaning. If all the people would follow this, conflicts among passengers would surely be reduced, right? What do you think? Do you agree with them or do you have a different perspective on the matter? We would love to hear from you. So, scroll down and type your thoughts!
Many people declared that he was being unreasonable as he got down his luggage but refused to move when others wanted to do the same
