Southwest Airlines sparks backlash after calling out habit millions of passengers do after landing
Southwest Airlines have received backlash after posting a sarcastic take about the habit millions of passengers do after landing, which has been coined 'aisle jumping'.
When you have anywhere between 100 and 200 people all packed into the same confined space for hours on end, it's pretty much inevitable that things are going to get a little... interesting.
Whether it's someone reclining their seat a little too enthusiastically, a passenger kicking the back of your chair, or a full-blown mid-air argument, flying has a way of bringing out the best - and sometimes the very worst - in people.
Many of us have flown enough times to know the drill.
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Seat upright? Check. Window blind open? Sure. Tray table away? Done. Phone on airplane mode? Of course.
But the endless list of requests also extends to when the plane eventually lands, when passengers are asked to remain in their seat until the seatbelt sign is turned off.
Does it happen? Rarely.
And Southwest Airlines have got something to say about it.
Posting on Threads earlier last week (June 30), the airline wrote out the following statement, each word separated by the clapping hands emoji: "You won't get off the plane faster by standing up .001 seconds after the seatbelt sign turns off."
And users online were not happy about the hot take.
"I HAVE TO PEE AND I'M AFRAID OF PLANE BATHROOMS," one responded, also with clapping hands emojis.
While another added: "I have a connecting flight that I am going to be late to."
A third user targeting the airline wrote: "We are overpriced and bad at what we do."
Standing up before the aircraft says you can is known as 'aisle jumping', and it's a seemingly more common habit than flight attendants would like it to be.
But aviation expert Gary Leff, writing for View From the Wing, explained: "You should stand as soon as your plane lands and arrives at the gate.
"This helps everyone stretch out a little bit, and move faster off the plane… It’s the sort of forward-leaning behavior that’s the hallmark of high performers."
Deplaning is another experience many passengers want to speed up as much as possible, and it can often result in an every-man-for-themselves kind of situation.
Travel expert Tarah Chieffi, writing for The Points Guy, added: "If I notice passengers making a beeline for the front of the plane instead of politely waiting their turn, I am that person who will stand up in the aisle next to my seat so that everyone deplanes in a timely manner.
"For some reason, I have chosen to make it my personal mission to keep the deplaning process fair."
Mia Williams