After an airplane lands at the airport, it still needs to taxi for a distance on the runway until it safely parks at the gate, allowing passengers to unfasten their seatbelts and disembark in order. However, at this moment, you may see some passengers who were originally seated in the back rushing forward to disembark ahead of their turn, especially in cases of flight delays. How should you deal with such behavior?
According to a report by the US magazine “Travel + Leisure,” these passengers who resemble sprinters may be seated at the back but are eager to push forward in the aisle to be among the first to disembark. But is it really necessary for them to do so? How should other passengers respond to such behavior?
In response to this phenomenon, etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, Jacqueline Whitmore, shared her thoughts. Whitmore expressed that passengers who rush ahead in the aisle are often seen as discourteous and inconsiderate because they ignore the unwritten rule of disembarking in order – allowing passengers in the front to exit before moving forward themselves.
While rushing to make a connecting flight can be understood as an exceptional circumstance, there are still other ways to address this situation. Whitmore suggested that you may inform the flight attendants about your specific situation before landing. “They may be able to move you to a seat closer to the front of the cabin or ask other passengers to wait in their seats, allowing passengers with tight connecting times to disembark first.”
If you are simply an observer as other passengers start squeezing past seats to move towards the front of the cabin, how should you respond? Whitmore stated that the best response is often to do nothing. After all, you do not know why others are in such a hurry. They may need to make a connecting flight, have a sudden health issue, or have other legitimate reasons, so it is best to let them pass.
If you cannot help but say a few words, be sure to maintain a friendly tone. According to Whitmore, you can say something like, “Are you rushing to catch a connecting flight?”
If you are facing a tight connecting time but do not want to forcefully squeeze past, it is best to remain calm and explain your situation to other passengers. Whitmore suggested saying, “I have a very tight connecting time, would you mind letting me pass first?” Based on her experience, as long as the approach is polite, most people are happy to assist.
By the way, passengers in a hurry to disembark often leave items on the plane, forget to take them, and when they realize it, they may have already exited the plane and cannot retrieve their belongings from the cabin. In this case, what should you do?
Former flight attendant Kari Pelzer previously told The Huffington Post that you can inform the staff at the boarding gate, and they will notify the flight attendants to help you retrieve your items.
If you have already reached the baggage claim area or left the terminal building or airport, it is best to contact the airport’s lost and found office and fill out a lost item report on the airline’s website. However, recovering lost items typically takes a considerable amount of time.
There are not only those in a hurry to disembark but also those in a rush to board the plane. These people who crowd near the boarding gate before their turn is called “gate lice,” which can be annoying. They may act out of impatience or wanting to grab space in the overhead bins, so they rush to pass the ground staff checkpoint and then quickly board the plane. Experts say they can cause congestion, slow down the boarding process, inconvenience passengers with legitimate boarding needs, and even lead to flight delays.