The stampede to deplane...

Folks

Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, but particularly recently I have noticed that there is a trend for the odd pax to jump out of their seats and storm off down the aisle once the plane has apparently stopped (often before the seatbelt signs have been switched off).

Now normally I'd expect it to be for a reason - you know, a late arrival meaning tight connection, maybe even a fag break, in which case, fine, but an "excuse me" would be nice.

I deliberately keep an eye on these folks to see what they do when they deplane. And you know what? Either (a) they just saunter off slowly once they've made it off the jetway to the passport control/baggage reclaim, or worse, (b) they rush down to the baggage reclaim knowing full well they're going to have to wait for their bags anyway. Rarely is it someone who I can say is seriously in a rush once they've got off.

Or does everyone have clostrophobia these days?

Cheers, Howard

I've noticed that problem as well. My opinion is that people always want to be first off so they don't have to wait in the queues at security, imigration, etc. as long. Thats another of the reasons we've started using PE so we get off first(-ish) anyway, without having to 'pile in' to the masses trying to be first off, makes getting off the plane a lot more relaxed. When I've been in economy, we just sit and wait patiently, but even then almost have to force our way out into the aisle because of people from further back trying to push past. [:(!]

Not really sure how VA or any other airline could solve the problem though? [:?] Perhaps call peoples row just like they do when boarding maybe? Doubt anything will ever change though unfortunately.

[Scrooge]

It's the same on every flight,I just sit back when im in Y and wait,no point in standing aroun doing nothing.

I have had this in J as well,with the person sitting in the window seat pretty much climbing over me to get out [:0].

The one flight that stick's in my mind to this day was a TWA flight LAS- STL where I was stuck at the back of the plane,having a 5 hr layover I wasn't in much of a hurry to get of the plane,but what I saw when w got to the gate amazed me.

Nobody standing when the plane stopped,no seatbeats going click before the sign went off.

The door's open and pax #1 stands grabs his stuff and starts to leave,as he's walking away pax #2 stands and grabs their stuff and so on down the plane,as the debarkation moved down the plane more people were inthe aisle,but you know what,it was probably quickler than the mad scrum that is the norm,just a polite,orderly stream of people..[y] to the pax on that flight.

Ooo... we've hit the subject of my most frequent gripe!

It's just bizarre.. on a simple short domestic flight, as the plane approaches the gate, you can see people trying to silently unbuckle, so as soon as the seat-belt sign goes off, they can leap up into the aisle, grab their stuff our of the o/h locker, and push down the aisle to the front of the plane... *sigh*
Knowing full well there is a 10 minute wait at the baggage carousel.
If there is delay before the c/c can open the doors, you see people huffing and puffing as they are bent over, half in, half out of their seat... meanwhile I am still engrossed in whatever reading material I have. [ii]

I do feel there's a level of conformity going on in this sort of situation, as soon as a few people start to do it the masses do because they're going along with the group. However in the apparantly rare situation which Jetwet described, I doubt anyone would have the nerve to get up before "their turn" because the whole group of the plane would frown upon it.

I do agree though, I think that it'd be much more orderly if you deplaned by rows - like someimtes you board by row. Then when you get to immigration it could be you que up according to your row number.

Originally posted by McCoy
Ooo... we've hit the subject of my most frequent gripe!

It's just bizarre.. on a simple short domestic flight, as the plane approaches the gate, you can see people trying to silently unbuckle, so as soon as the seat-belt sign goes off, they can leap up into the aisle, grab their stuff our of the o/h locker, and push down the aisle to the front of the plane... *sigh*
Knowing full well there is a 10 minute wait at the baggage carousel.
If there is delay before the c/c can open the doors, you see people huffing and puffing as they are bent over, half in, half out of their seat... meanwhile I am still engrossed in whatever reading material I have. [ii]

If I am in a window seat, I stay seated, and read like you. No-one is going anywhere until the door opens, and that always takes at the very least two or three minutes if you're very very lucky.

If I am in an aisle seat, I get up at a leisurely pace, get my things together at my own pace and offer to help get others' stuff down from the overhead bins if necessary. That is unless I see someone stampeding down the aisle in which case I get up ASAP and deliberately get in their way like I did yesterday. You know, they could have got in front of me had they said something like "Excuse me, I have " but of course that never happens.

I love it when the stampeders are stymied and they open a different door to where they came in, espeicially in extreme cases such as when the jetway fails and they have to use a rear exit

Cheers, Howard

I once had a moment on a CX flight, as soon as the plane landed on the runway, there was this young couple hand in hand trundling down the aisle from the back. I was thinking in my mind 'where do they think they are going'. They were soon marching back up the aisle being escorted by a cabin crew.

I personally only start gathering my stuff when the fasten seatbelt has been distinguished.

I do loathe the stampede too, but I have to admit I am usually first off the plane if we arriving in the US (IAD is a special case where I just have to ensure I am in the first 20 or so) in order to get further up the queue for lengthy immigration procedures. Sometimes being first and being fiftieth can mean the difference between zero wait and 30 minutes, and when you have a client meeting to get to...

BC

As im a wheelchair user im always on first off last.

So youd think that other pax would be clear of the airport by the time I hit immigration.

I always catch up with them at baggage reclaim! - and sail on by (as I rarely check stuff)

[preiffer]

Electronically/Mechanically controlled seatbelts. They get released by computer, one row at a time, after landing... [y]


AND VS could sell "early release" for £50 per person...[}:)]

[honey lamb]

I love it at ORK when everyone is standing in the aisle waiting for the front door to open, craning their necks and straining at the lease to get off. Those of us in the know simply turn round and hop down the back steps which are always in place first [}:)]

It amuses me watching the pax rush off the Fokker 50s at AMS while I try and get off last. Last one in the bus means first one to passport control

I get up when it's my orderly turn to get up. 'Nuff said.

GJ

A KBE to you sir

Slinkster

[RichardMannion]

Howard don't worry its not just you, I find this really annoying yet entertaining at the same time. The acute deafness/stupidity of people that think the remian seated until the plane comes to a compelte halt doesn't apply to them. Why the rush, if its a n international flight, you have the joy of outsourced baggage handlers to worry about.

I know some pilots that have deliberately used the air brake to trip passengers who have got out of their seats before he seatbelt signs have gone out - very entertatining and not a thing the passenger can complain about either as they should have been seated.

Has frustrated me in the past when the crew have not blocked the aisle in time to prevent the Y passengers from disembarking before the PE and UC pax.

GJ - love the story. Sums it up, American air travel is a fascinating bystander event. Its a Trinny & Susannah Cardiac special at times, especially on the LAS flights. Then you have the 2 tonne carry-on bag the size of Elton John's checked luggage. Or the grade A clown that sits in your allocated seats and says but I wanted an aisle seat, you don't mind do you? Grrr.

Thanks,
Richard

Fly with the chinese.... nuff said![:o)]

Although I am sympathetic about the issues re early scrum of disembarking (and must admit that I am always glad to stand up after being seated for so long, so certainly one to enjoy aisle access asap on seat belt bing) I wonder about the rather crude generalizations of national proclivity or dimension.

Just my thoughts.

RoadRunner

I remember on one flight that I was on, when the plane was taxiing to the gate and stopped, people were unbuckling their seat belts and getting up even though the plane was nowhere near the stand.[:0]

The stewardess had to make an announcement to tell everyone to sit back down again.[V]

On a recent flight with SQ we (myself, wife, two young kids) were occupying the bulkhead seat in the second Y cabin. We were up trying to assemble our considerable carry on and people were pushing past us just so they could gain the additional 3 metres offered by the galley.

On a similar point though SQ pull the curtain between Y and J and expect passengers to wait. This is fair enough but when one aisle is moving and the other is not it is a bit frustrating. I checked behind the curtain and the Business Class passengers were coming down the stairs and disembarking through the front door. Meanwhile the second door was also open but not being used. As soon as the last J pax disembarked they allowed the Y pax out the second door - this seemed a bit dim.

Phil

[fozzyo]

On our Sydney flight when we got to the gate a few people started unbuckling belts and getting up. The crew made the annoucement:

"Please remain seated with seat belts fastened until the oh never mind."

There were several chuckles heard down the plane.

But yes it does amaze me that as soon as the sign goes off people are jumping up - cranking their necks standing under the lockers. Your not really going to get off much quicker and are just going to get frustrated and a bad back.

Mat xxx

Perhaps, in particular with regard to the Y cabin, people are just impatient to get a long and uncomfortable flight over with. Those among us who have ever said 'I didnt want to get off the plane' may have forgotten just how that feels.

I try to get off any flight arriving in ANU as quickly as I can (whilst obeying seat belt signs and not spear tackling old ladies and infants in the process). That is followed by speed walking past as many other passengers as possible as every person ahead of you at ANU immigration is realisticly a two to five minute wait for you. However at more professionaly run airports I cant say it bothers me one way or the other when I get off.

Your use of sentence "Ah yes, one of America's pride and joy -- the morbidly obese" might indicate your comments were not wholely nationality free GJJ.

[ChuckC]

Originally posted by preiffer
Electronically/Mechanically controlled seatbelts. They get released by computer, one row at a time, after landing... [y]


AND VS could sell "early release" for £50 per person...[}:)]

LOL. Sounds a bit Orwellian or am I dating myself? My experience has been that the flight attendants can and do control hasty exits if they are well positioned at the doors and are doing the "hold back, please until UC has deplaned" thingy.[8D]

Originally posted by locutus
It amuses me watching the pax rush off the Fokker 50s at AMS while I try and get off last. Last one in the bus means first one to passport control

Excellent point, locotus. Same story at Dulles Airport (IAD) with those people movers. If you can squeeze in last you'll be off first.

Thanks for the tip!

Chuck-

A couple of years ago on a LAX-LHR segment I was upstairs in PE. We had waited a bit for the seatbelt lights to be extinguished but it all got to be a bit too much for the UC passengers who had collected all their things together and were pooling by the stairs in PE. That is until the captain came on and said roughly, "I am charged with the safety of everyone on this plane and I don't recall turning off the seatbelt lights. Now if you could just follow simple instructions I want everyone to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts immediately." Soon enough when it came time to deplane the captain ordered UC to stay put let the PE pax go first! I saw quite a few disgruntled looks on my way through the plane.

I have twice been on VS planes where the FSM announced that if anyone got up beofre the seatbelt sign was extinguished then they would be made to stay behind and help clean the plane - and both times no-one got up until the light went out!!

On another occasion on a flight back from Orlando an elderly woman got up and started walking down the aisle - the FA asked her to sit down just at the moment the plane braked hard - the lady went flying 3 rows down the aisle -- she was unhurt but a bit shaken and I guess she doesnt do that any more!!

I'm more amazed at some peoples eagerness to board a flight.

Don't people understand that its not like a bus or train where the last on have to remain standing for the whole trip.

I'd rather spend a few extra minutes sat in the relative luxury of a airport seat than became involved in the scrum to get a 'Y' seat.