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Southwest Airlines has reignited one of air travel’s biggest etiquette debates after joking in a social media post that passengers who stand up immediately after landing “won’t get off the plane faster.”
“You 👏 won’t 👏 get 👏 off 👏 the 👏 plane 👏 faster 👏 by 👏 standing 👏 up 👏 .001 👏 seconds 👏 after 👏 the 👏 seatbelt 👏 sign 👏 turns 👏 off 👏,” the airline recently wrote on Threads, using the emojis exactly as shown.
The post quickly revived a familiar debate among travelers.
STANDING UP RIGHT AFTER PLANE LANDS FUELS VIRAL DEBATE ABOUT AIR TRAVEL ETIQUETTE
Some say they view the habit as inconsiderate — while others say standing helps them stretch, retrieve their carry-on bags and prepare to deplane.
The comments section quickly filled up as travelers revealed why they stand as soon as the seatbelt sign turns off. Many insisted it’s less about rushing off the plane and more about comfort and being ready to leave the aircraft as soon as they can.
“Maybe👏🏻I👏🏻need👏🏻to👏🏻stretch👏🏻my👏🏻legs👏🏻after👏🏻sitting👏🏻in👏🏻your👏🏻cramped👏🏻plane👏🏻,” one user said.
“It’s 👏not 👏 about 👏 getting 👏 off 👏 the 👏 plane 👏 fast,” another user wrote.
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Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert based in Texas, previously told Fox News Digital that passengers who stand immediately after landing have become a source of frustration for many other travelers.
“With long flights, people are anxious to stand up and stretch their legs,” Gottsman said.
“They also want to get their suitcases out of the bins and be prepared to efficiently walk out of their aisle.”
Problems arise, she said, when passengers step into the aisle too early, block others or encroach on the limited personal space inside the cabin.
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“Moving into the aisle and trying to push is a definite etiquette faux pas,” Gottsman said.
“For safety reasons, it’s best to remain seated unless there is room to comfortably move about.”
Flight attendants should handle the situation to help keep the deplaning process orderly, Gottsman added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Southwest Airlines for comment.
Many commenters said standing after landing is not the issue. They argued that passengers should wait their turn and avoid pushing ahead of others.
“I stand up immediately and politely grab my stuff and get ready to deplane,” one commenter wrote.
“I don’t push in front of people and try not to be in others’ way. I wait for rows in front of me to get off. People who take the time gathering their belongings hold up others and the flight,” the commenter continued.
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“I find it a form of respect for other passengers and flight attendants,” the commenter added.