A travel agent captured the moment a flight attendant reprimanded passengers after they stood up and started taking bags out of the overhead bins while the plane was landing.
TikToker Karen Green-Walker (@karenpgreenwalker) filmed the event during her jetBlue flight from New York to Florida. The video was viewed over 352,000 times, sparking a conversation on the current state of airplane etiquette.
Green-Walker begins filming after the passengers started to get their bags from the overhead bin.
A text overlay aims to explain the situation: “People were standing and pulling down their luggage. We were landing and still in the air to FLL. 3rd announcement. At one point they were gonna call the police.”
As passengers gasp and talk among themselves an exasperated voice comes over the loudspeaker: “Please close the overhead bins.”
@karenpgreenwalker I give these flight attendants credit bc I had it with these passengers on the flight from #lga to #fll. #airplanedelays #airplaneissues #jetblue #travel ♬ original sound – Karen Green-Walker
Viewers were flabbergasted by the passengers’ apparent reasoning of getting their luggage to get off the plane quicker. “I really don’t understand bc you don’t get out any faster you still have to wait,” one said.
“They’ll do all that and be standing in line for next flight with me who didn’t even stand up until it was my turn to exit.” a second added.
“Don’t people know takeoff and landing are the most crucial times in flight,” another agreed.
“Airplane etiquette has really gone out the window and I hate it!” a user replied.
Many shared similar occurrences they’d witnessed.
“This happened on my flight from jfk to Vegas! People kept getting up and I’m like sit down?! Wtf? Have y’all never flown before?” a user said.
“Had to take a frontier flight last month and people were taking their luggage down and opening suitcases while still climbing after takeoff,” another shared.
“This happened to me once and I was connecting to London. I missed my connection. This happened twice as we were coming in to land,” a third said.
Some believed that the crew should have been harder on the unruly passengers.
“Pilot should have starting they were going to go around and hold until the bags were back in the bin and everyone seated,” a user said.
“Call captain for a go around and 15mins on holding pattern,” another agreed.
“I would a been out of my jumpseat and down that aisle so quick. And the police would be at that door as soon as it opens,” a user added.
Green-Walker replied: “the FA had to do that…and the folks still were trying to get the luggage. It was a lot going on plus turbulance. Just way to much.”
The number of unruly passengers has been on the rise since 2020, when conflicts over mask mandates were rife. According to an analysis by the International Air Transport Association, incidents involving unruly passengers spiked by 47% from 2021 to 2022. This averages out to one disruption per every 568 flights.
Examples of disruptions include smoking or vaping, passengers drinking their own alcohol onboard, refusing to fasten seatbelts, and not following a flight attendant’s instructions.
A few aviation experts, according to NBC News, believe that the spike in disruptive customers is due to the airlines themselves. Frustration with high ticket prices, widespread delays and cancelations, and a marked decrease in quality has bred widespread resentment among customers. Unfortunately, the downward spiral is reportedly expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
The Daily Dot reached out to Karen Green-Walker via TikTok comments and jetBlue via email for further information.
