Passengers getting up too early on landing? One country has had enough
'Passengers are required to remain seated with seatbelts fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the fasten seatbelt sign has been switched off!'
I'm on a domestic flight overseas, the aircraft is still taxiing, the announcement has already been made twice, yet passengers are still standing up to drag bags from the overhead lockers. I don't get it. You might have your bag but now you're being yelled by the crew and told to sit, and you're not leaving the aircraft any quicker.
The urge to unbuckle and grab your bag even when the aircraft is moving is irresistible for some passengers. Apart from shouting at them over the PA system, there's not much the cabin crew can do about it – they have to stay in their seats too, for the same safety reason.
Turkey, however, has just called time on offenders. The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation recently announced it intends to fine passengers who stand before the aircraft has come to a complete stop, who unlock their seatbelts or open the overhead lockers prematurely. Based on Article 143 of the Turkish Civil Aviation Law No. 2920, the regulation applies to all carriers operating flights into Turkey. Violators can be fined $US70 ($110).
I get that it's cramped in economy and some are busting to stand up get moving as soon as possible but there's a protocol that applies when you're exiting an aircraft. Once the 'fasten seatbelt' sign goes off the well-behaved aisle seat passenger can either stand or stay seated – their choice - until the rows in front have cleared.
Passengers with backpacks, note that you're packed in like a Tokyo subway commuter in evening rush hour. If you must put your pack on your back while you're in the aisle, don't swing around like a dunny door in the wind, you're probably going to bonk someone's head and that's intensely irritating.
Better still, wait for the passenger slightly ahead in the queue to move, then retrieve your carry-on from the overhead locker and march promptly down the aisle. In any other seat, you're at the mercy of the person in the aisle seat, so no reason to stand and anyway, what's the rush? If you're travelling with checked luggage you're probably going to be kicking your heels at the baggage carousel regardless of when you exit the aircraft.
What can go wrong
A video shot by US filmmaker Adam Ellick and posted to social media in March shows passengers on an IndiGo flight standing to open overhead lockers and haul out their bags in defiance of safety announcements as the aircraft is still taxiing to its stand. After repeated warnings from the crew the offenders resume their seats, but only after they've removed their bags from the overhead lockers. What was the point? They have their bags but they're not getting off the plane any quicker.
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Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Passengers getting up too early on landing? One country has had enough
'Passengers are required to remain seated with seatbelts fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the fasten seatbelt sign has been switched off!' I'm on a domestic flight overseas, the aircraft is still taxiing, the announcement has already been made twice, yet passengers are still standing up to drag bags from the overhead lockers. I don't get it. You might have your bag but now you're being yelled by the crew and told to sit, and you're not leaving the aircraft any quicker. The urge to unbuckle and grab your bag even when the aircraft is moving is irresistible for some passengers. Apart from shouting at them over the PA system, there's not much the cabin crew can do about it – they have to stay in their seats too, for the same safety reason. Turkey, however, has just called time on offenders. The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation recently announced it intends to fine passengers who stand before the aircraft has come to a complete stop, who unlock their seatbelts or open the overhead lockers prematurely. Based on Article 143 of the Turkish Civil Aviation Law No. 2920, the regulation applies to all carriers operating flights into Turkey. Violators can be fined $US70 ($110). I get that it's cramped in economy and some are busting to stand up get moving as soon as possible but there's a protocol that applies when you're exiting an aircraft. Once the 'fasten seatbelt' sign goes off the well-behaved aisle seat passenger can either stand or stay seated – their choice - until the rows in front have cleared. Passengers with backpacks, note that you're packed in like a Tokyo subway commuter in evening rush hour. If you must put your pack on your back while you're in the aisle, don't swing around like a dunny door in the wind, you're probably going to bonk someone's head and that's intensely irritating. Better still, wait for the passenger slightly ahead in the queue to move, then retrieve your carry-on from the overhead locker and march promptly down the aisle. In any other seat, you're at the mercy of the person in the aisle seat, so no reason to stand and anyway, what's the rush? If you're travelling with checked luggage you're probably going to be kicking your heels at the baggage carousel regardless of when you exit the aircraft. What can go wrong A video shot by US filmmaker Adam Ellick and posted to social media in March shows passengers on an IndiGo flight standing to open overhead lockers and haul out their bags in defiance of safety announcements as the aircraft is still taxiing to its stand. After repeated warnings from the crew the offenders resume their seats, but only after they've removed their bags from the overhead lockers. What was the point? They have their bags but they're not getting off the plane any quicker.

The Age
4 days ago
- The Age
Passengers getting up too early on landing? One country has had enough
'Passengers are required to remain seated with seatbelts fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the fasten seatbelt sign has been switched off!' I'm on a domestic flight overseas, the aircraft is still taxiing, the announcement has already been made twice, yet passengers are still standing up to drag bags from the overhead lockers. I don't get it. You might have your bag but now you're being yelled by the crew and told to sit, and you're not leaving the aircraft any quicker. The urge to unbuckle and grab your bag even when the aircraft is moving is irresistible for some passengers. Apart from shouting at them over the PA system, there's not much the cabin crew can do about it – they have to stay in their seats too, for the same safety reason. Turkey, however, has just called time on offenders. The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation recently announced it intends to fine passengers who stand before the aircraft has come to a complete stop, who unlock their seatbelts or open the overhead lockers prematurely. Based on Article 143 of the Turkish Civil Aviation Law No. 2920, the regulation applies to all carriers operating flights into Turkey. Violators can be fined $US70 ($110). I get that it's cramped in economy and some are busting to stand up get moving as soon as possible but there's a protocol that applies when you're exiting an aircraft. Once the 'fasten seatbelt' sign goes off the well-behaved aisle seat passenger can either stand or stay seated – their choice - until the rows in front have cleared. Passengers with backpacks, note that you're packed in like a Tokyo subway commuter in evening rush hour. If you must put your pack on your back while you're in the aisle, don't swing around like a dunny door in the wind, you're probably going to bonk someone's head and that's intensely irritating. Better still, wait for the passenger slightly ahead in the queue to move, then retrieve your carry-on from the overhead locker and march promptly down the aisle. In any other seat, you're at the mercy of the person in the aisle seat, so no reason to stand and anyway, what's the rush? If you're travelling with checked luggage you're probably going to be kicking your heels at the baggage carousel regardless of when you exit the aircraft. What can go wrong A video shot by US filmmaker Adam Ellick and posted to social media in March shows passengers on an IndiGo flight standing to open overhead lockers and haul out their bags in defiance of safety announcements as the aircraft is still taxiing to its stand. After repeated warnings from the crew the offenders resume their seats, but only after they've removed their bags from the overhead lockers. What was the point? They have their bags but they're not getting off the plane any quicker.

News.com.au
09-05-2025
- News.com.au
India suspends flights at 24 airports amid Pakistan conflict
India has suspended civilian flights at 24 airports in the north following fighting with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan. Nearly 50 people have perished, mainly in Pakistan, since India launched air strikes on Wednesday targeting 'terrorist camps' and sparking the worst clashes between the neighbours in decades. Late on Thursday, the Indian government released a list of 24 airports that have been closed for civilian flights, including in the cities of Jodhpur, Ludhiana and Amritsar near the western border with Pakistan. Some of India's biggest airlines, including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, have cancelled over 100 flights since Wednesday. Local media reported the suspension of civilian flights may be lifted on Saturday morning. Indian airlines have also issued advisories to passengers flying out from other airports, asking them to arrive at least three hours before departure, citing a government notification on enhanced security measures. The strikes on Wednesday came two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on tourists in the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir — a charge Pakistan denies. The arch rivals have since exchanged drones and missiles, as well as artillery fire across their contested border in Kashmir. The violence has raised fears of a wider conflict between the neighbours.