As we head into holiday travel, one conversation that comes up frequently is airplane etiquette.
There’s one thing that many people have a surprisingly strong opinion about — whether you should stand up right after the plane lands or not.
Hundreds of tweets and discussions on Reddit boards, and even Buzzfeed articles, have argued that you shouldn’t stand up when it lands. One Expedia survey found that 35% of people do not like the standers.
The main argument the anti-standers have is that standing up doesn’t help you get off the plane any faster and can be obnoxious to other passengers.
But I’m here to disagree on that one. I think you should be the person who stands up right when the plane lands if you want to.
Here’s why.
1. Standing up when the plane lands does save time
Granted, the time saved is minimal, but if you’re in a row of three and the aisle seat can stand up and have their bag ready to go, it makes it easier for the rest of the row to file out.
The airport and flying experience is next-level time constraint pressure. Starting at security, you can sense the anxiousness of people trying to make their flights. There’s nothing worse than having someone breathing down your neck in the security line as you’re fumbling to get your iPad out of your backpack, only to then have the TSA agent say you don’t have to take it out at this airport. What are the rules??
Then once you’re on the plane, and it’s time to deplane, the level of pressure to get up fast and gather your things quickly happens immediately. If you can alleviate any of that pressure by standing up and having your backpack straps on, then more power to you.
2. Standing up when the plane lands gives you a chance to stretch
Flights are long and uncomfortable for everyone. Once the plane lands, we are all ready to get out of there as fast as possible.
Depending on how long the flight is, your feet might be swollen, your legs cramped, or you might be nauseous from taxiing. There’s just a lot going on. Standing up can help get some of the blood flowing before it’s time to exit the plane.
“Getting up and getting some steps in can be very helpful,” said Harley Pasternak, a celebrity trainer, told The Washington Post. “... It’ll get the blood moving, help with anxiety and possibly reduce your chance of getting deep-vein thrombosis.”
3. Standing up when the plane lands is not the worst airplane sin
I would argue that there are many worse things people do on planes other than standing up right when the airplane lands. Here’s a list of the worst offenses:
- Taking your shoes off.
- Leaning the seat back during meal or snack times.
- Being rude to other passengers and/or flight attendants.
- Taking space in an overhead bin with a bag that should go under the seat in front of you.
- Watching videos or movies with the sound on, without headphones or AirPods.
How can you make the flying experience better?
In my own research, I haven’t found any official airline stances on whether passengers should stand up or not. Passengers are not allowed to stand up before the plane stops moving is the only guideline I found, which seems obvious.
Flight attendants have mixed reactions on whether it’s appropriate to stand up once the plane stops moving or not.
One thing that seems clear, though, is that airline employees wish passengers would be all-around more considerate to staff and other passengers, which would make flying a lot more enjoyable for everyone.
One anonymous former Delta Airlines flight attendant told Woman’s Day, “If passengers worked together and stopped only thinking about themselves it would make our job easier, as well as help the flight get out on time.”