In this month’s Dear Fodor’s, we explore whether it’s okay to deplane before other passengers when you have a connecting flight to catch that’s departing soon.
Dear Fodor’s, I travel a lot from an area that has a regional hub. It connects me to a major hub easily enough, but often my connection time is super tight–45 minutes or less. There always seems to be some sort of delay and it takes everyone forever to deplane row by row. Since I never know if I’m going to have to run to the next terminal to find my gate, I try to rush up the aisle as soon as the pilot turns off the fasten seatbelt sign. I get some dirty looks, but I’m not going to risk missing my next flight because people are taking too long to grab their belongings. Am I justified?
There are few things more stressful about airline travel than the anxiety of missing your connecting flight. Weather-related delays, maintenance issues, and air traffic congestion can all shave off precious moments of time you need to get from one gate to another; compounding that is the frustrating practice of airlines squeezing connecting flights closer together. To make it instead of missing it, you may need to deboard more quickly than the usual row-by-row.
Still, you’re probably not the only passenger onboard who’s in this predicament. So what are your rights, and what’s considered rude? While it’s reasonable to ask to go ahead of others who have reached their final destination, you’re not entitled to elbow your way off the plane. We asked aviation and etiquette experts how best to expedite your exit without coming across as boorish.
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Is Your Connection Actually Tight?
If your next flight is already boarding or will be soon, or your gate’s in another terminal that requires a long walk or ride on a tram or people mover, you’re justified in requesting to deplane as soon as possible. But if you’re just impatient, like to be seated at your gate well before it’s time to board, or want time to grab a quick dinner on the ground, you should hang tight until it’s time for your row to file out.
Paul Hudson, president of Flyers Rights, the largest non-profit airline passenger organization in North America, says that if a delay has created the problem, you may be able to explain the situation to the gate agent or flight attendant to see if they can help. He suggests getting ahead of the issue by booking an aisle seat towards the front of the plane; alternatively, talk to the agent at your connecting gate to see if they can reassign your seat.
“Keep in mind if you’re having difficulty, most likely others on the plane are too,” says Diane Gottsman, global etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas. “Often the flight attendant will make an announcement asking for those who aren’t on a tight connection to allow others to go first so they won’t miss their flight.” But don’t count on this happening. Even if it does, the request may backfire. People who have reached their final destination may comply and wait, or they get up anyway, perhaps even passive-aggressively deplaning at an even slower pace than normal.
Can You Ask to Move Ahead?
So if your attempt to secure a seat at the front has failed, or the flight attendant’s announcement has fallen on deaf ears, can you make a plea to your fellow passengers to let you out first? Yes, with a few caveats. “The biggest etiquette mistake is pushing and showing without any consideration for others–no one wants to get hit with a bag, strap, or coat,” says Nick Leighton, co-host of “Were You Raised By Wolves?”, a podcast that covers modern etiquette, manners, and everyday social dynamics. “Polite and direct is the way to go.” A plea to the effect of “Excuse me, so sorry, I have a tight connection and only have four minutes to get to Gate B23. Would you mind if I went ahead of you?” is pointed, short, and direct. While showing a bit of urgency is warranted, shoving your way to the front is never justified.
Your best chance is if you’re in an aisle seat towards the front with no carry-on luggage in the overhead bin. In that case, be ready when the seatbelt sign goes off, and swiftly make your way up the aisle, politely announcing that you have a connection.
But even if you do make it up to the front of the plane, remember that the boarding bridge still needs to be connected and the crew needs to open the door and give the all-clear before you can actually exit. You’ll still need to wait a bit.
Don’t Become the Bottleneck
In your haste to jump out of your seat as soon as the seatbelt sign is turned off to get off the plane in a speedy fashion, you may actually be exacerbating the problem. “Standing up isn’t necessarily the problem; blocking the aisle is,” says Dr. Laurie Garrow, aviation expert at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “What matters is keeping a steady stream of passengers moving towards the exit.” She says those with a tight connection don’t need to sit there patiently until the row ahead of them is completely empty, provided they can use the otherwise empty space to get themselves ready without getting in anyone else’s way. Just keep the flow moving.
A Little Courtesy Goes a Long Way
Gottsman believes that standing in the aisle, waiting to jockey your way to the front, isn’t inherently rude–unless you’re blocking others from grabbing their bags. A good faith gesture while you wait is helping them retrieve their luggage from the overhead bins. Leighton hopes fliers subscribe to a pay-it-forward mentality- while today it might be you rushing ahead, the next time another passenger might be in need of this courtesy. “I’d certainly like to live in a world in which those who have more time to spare are willing to let those with tight connections go ahead of them,” he says. After all, “air travel is stressful, and, especially at the end of the flight, it’s important to give everyone a little grace.”
Remember: urgency gives you the grounds to ask, not permission to bulldoze.