Video Of Man Racing Down Plane Aisle To Get Off First Has Everyone Asking What Exactly The Rush Is
Some plane passengers sprint like it's a marathon to get off quickly once they've landed, but do they have a good reason?
Denis Belitsky / Shutterstock; shigga__ / Instagram If you’ve ever been on a plane, you’ve likely experienced fellow passengers stampeding down the aisle to get off before the aircraft has even pulled into the gate, as if by clogging the aisle they will magically be able to deplane before the flight crew allows them to do so.
One man had no shame admitting that he's definitely one of these people, unapologetically nudging other people with his backpack as he forced his way down the aisle so that he could be the first one off the plane.
His actions resonated with some people, while others are confessing that if they had the option to never fly with someone like him, they would gladly take it.
The man filmed himself rushing through the aisle of the plane so he could be one of the first passengers off.
The video shared on Instagram depicted the man behind the camera lifting out of his seat before the plane had even pulled into the gate. Just as the other passengers were unbuckling their seatbelts and preparing to grab their bags from the overhead bins, the man had already made it halfway toward the front of the plane, shortly before the lights even turned on.
A couple of times, the man pushed himself right past passengers who stood up to collect their belongings to ensure that he’d make it off the plane before them.
“POV: you have 0 patience when getting off planes,” the text overlay of the video read.
Although the video clip is only a few seconds long, the man’s actions stirred up strong reactions from viewers.
Some people believed that the man went against unspoken plane etiquette and lacked consideration for his other passengers.
“These people suck,” one user commented. “Some folks are actually about to miss flights and need to do this, so when people who think they're the main character do it for no reason, it makes people less likely to be accommodating to those who aren’t taking advantage.”
Others asked why the man just did not pay for a seat in the front of the plane so he wouldn’t have to fight his way down the aisle to get off. However, some saw nothing wrong with the man’s rush to get off the plane, arguing that his fellow passengers were actually the rude ones.
“The same people that take 78 business days to get their stuff and get off and on the plane (which is more rude IMO) are the ones complaining about this guy who has everything ready to go and affected no one by getting off the plane quicker,” one user said.
Another user chimed in, “It’s not that big of a deal if he wants to get off the plane ASAP. It's not rude to move past people who are going to take 10 minutes when you're ready to go.”
Others pointed out that the man could have been trying to make a connecting flight and was rushing off the plane so he wouldn’t miss it, and that he was not intending to be rude.
Some people may sit in their plane seats as the aircraft pulls into the gate, and snicker and roll their eyes at those who stand and crowd the aisles before the doors even open to deboard. After all, where would they be able to go, and how much time do they really save themselves?
It's natural to assume people who rush off planes are being rude, but they may just be demonstrating a great sense of social awareness and consideration.
“When I stand up once the seatbelt sign goes off, I am often able to pass a backpack or jacket to my row mate or even get the roller bag from above my seat down for the lady two rows ahead, who otherwise would be clogging up more of the lane when it was ‘her turn’ to get up,” columnist Timothy P. Carney wrote in an article on the Washington Examiner.
Carney also makes the point that gathering your belongings ahead of the flight deplaning was also a courteous gesture that saved time for other passengers to get off the plane.
Photo: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock
“You have downtime while the doors are closed, and if you’re standing, you can use that downtime to get your bag down from the overhead bin,” he added. “Maybe this saves you only 10 seconds, but if every aisle-sitter did it (both sides of the aisle for 30 rows), then the last person on the plane would get off 10 minutes sooner.”
Some passengers may just be uncomfortable after sitting in a cramped seat for hours and desperately need to stand up and stretch their legs.
Flying is undoubtedly stressful and can trigger aggravation. Some people may shove their way down the aisle as quickly as possible in order to deplane quickly while other passengers assume the worst of their behavior.
But at the end of the day, we are all just trying to make it to our destinations (hopefully) with no malicious intent.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.