When the flight passengers were touched and argued, the main airline pilots responded
What does a pilot really think when clapping after a plane touches down?
While flight passengers may try to show their gratitude for a safe landing, some say it can be offensive or rude to the flight attendants.
In a recent article, Rosie Panter, travel expert at DealChecker, a travel comparison website, commented on flight etiquette.
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“Applause, applause. Two words. No and no,” Panther told the Daily Express, a British newspaper.
This simple act of thanking and appreciating may offend your airline pilots after landing. (iStock)
“If you’ve had a particularly rocky flight and it’s difficult to land, there’s a little clap when you get off or a thank you to the pilot, but no normal flight… there should be clapping, let’s put that in the past.”
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A chief airline pilot, who asked not to be named for privacy reasons, had the opposite reaction.
“(There are different reasons why people are clapping in unison on the plane). You know, it might be a break,” she told Fox News Digital.
Two major airline pilots said there was nothing wrong with clapping after a “beautiful” landing. (iStock)
“Or it could just be like a big gust and wind, you know, like everybody’s holding their breath and it lands, and then it lands, and it’s beautiful and then everybody claps,” the pilot added.
Another airline pilot, who asked not to be named, told Fox News Digital: “To be honest… there’s something like a little bit of guilt, isn’t there?”
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In fact, due to how big the plane is and the distance between the flight and the flight cabin, the pilots cannot always hear the applause of the passengers.
Because of how big the plane is and how far the runway is from the cabin, pilots can’t always hear the applause. (iStock)
The pilots said that it takes artistry to land the plane safely and clapping to acknowledge that beautiful performance.
“I think it’s very close when you clap as a courtesy to the person performing it,” said one.
“Of course they’re doing their job, but people are still applauding, saying, ‘Hey, you’re doing a good job.'”
The ritual of touching the plane before passengers board the plane creates mixed feelings among travelers.
An ethicist said there was no need for applause because the pilots were doing their jobs. (iStock)
An ethics expert told The Daily Express that clapping can be considered disrespectful.
“Applause after landing is not necessary and is rude to the pilots,” the expert told the newspaper.
“If the landing is good, applause shows admiration for such skill. If the landing is bad, the applause is insulting.”
But not all ethicists seem to agree.
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Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant and Florida-based ethicist, says this interpretation of applause is “completely untrue.”
The only thing a pilot should avoid saying is “Thank you for a safe flight.” Instead, thank the flight (crew) and thank them for making it enjoyable.” (iStock)
“I disagree with experts who say clapping after a safe landing is impolite and disrespectful,” Whitmore told Fox News Digital.
“Passengers are simply showing their appreciation for their ability to land the plane safely.”
While clapping isn’t necessarily something pilots dislike, there are other comments from passengers that pilots don’t appreciate.
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“My favorite thing to hear from passengers is, ‘Thank you for a safe flight,’ because I think that’s a given. That’s my goal,” said one pilot.
Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant and etiquette expert, not pictured, says it’s always an honor to thank the pilot when they get off the plane. (iStock)
“I want a safe flight too. I’m on this plane too. I want to join my family as bad as you.”
There are other things you can say to pilots to show your appreciation or gratitude, one of the pilots told Fox News Digital.
Thank the pilot for a “fun flight” or a great landing.
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You can thank the pilot when you get off the plane.
Whitmore agrees that these acts of gratitude are good forms of etiquette.
One tip is to thank your pilot after landing to show appreciation. (iStock)
“If you get a chance to stand at the gate, most people are staring at their phones (and) they don’t even realize there’s a pilot standing at the gate because they’re focused on, ‘Here I go again,'” said one airline pilot.
“So any kind of engagement where you say ‘welcome’ or ‘thank you very much’ is appreciated.”
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Fox News Digital contacted Dealchecker for comment.
