A TikToker ignited a significant discussion by posting a video questioning ‘plane etiquette’ as her fellow travelers rushed to the aisle in an attempt to disembark the aircraft.
It’s probably a given that everyone who has been confined to a seat in a metal tube, with only occasional trips to the restroom, is eager to leave the plane as soon as possible.
People have various reasons for wanting to get off quickly – some have connecting flights, others are anxious to reunite with loved ones, and some are simply fatigued from the flight. However, the bottom line is, we’re all in the same plane.
So, does anyone actually have a ‘right’ to exit the plane ahead of others? This is the question TikToker Mikayla posed when she uploaded a video from her plane seat in 2023.
In the now-viral footage, Mikayla is seen remaining seated while passengers fill the aisle around her.
Accompanying the video, she asked: “Since when did airplane etiquette of getting off the plane row by row end?”
Her travel companion appears to agree, shaking their head in the video, but opinions vary on what the ‘proper’ way to disembark is.
A commenter stated: “I have never seen it go row by row. It doesn’t board row by row either. So idk why people expect this.”
Another added: “I’ve been traveling 20+ years and I’ve never seen people do row by row.”
Despite this, Mikayla isn’t imagining things, as some people argued that not exiting the plane row by row is impolite.
https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7252088726279474475
“I experienced the same thing recently and I wasn’t in the aisle so there was nothing I could do but wait for the aisle seat person to go,” one TikTok user remembered, while another commented: “I just had this happen Monday. I understand if they need to catch a connecting flight. If that’s unspoken though, it’s considered rude.”
Author and etiquette expert Jules Hirst provided her perspective, telling Newsweek that ‘even though there is not an official rule regarding exiting an airplane, it comes down to the honor system’.
Hirst believes that exiting row by row is preferable, though she acknowledged: “Passengers with connecting flights should be allowed to exit first.”