An airplane passenger opens up about an awkward — and relatable — travel interaction.
On a recent flight, a fellow passenger, who the passenger estimated to be in his 20s, was “watching a show at full volume on his phone in the next row,” the individual shared in a Nov. 7 Reddit post.
The show was so loud that other passengers “complained” and looked dirty, they explained. But as time passed, no one said anything—until a Reddit user decided to step in, that is.
“After 15 minutes I finally got up and asked them if I could reduce it,” the original poster (OP) wrote, noting parenthetically that “they may have said in [a] certain tone.”
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“They turned it down in the end,” the user revealed, but not without a reaction from the person next to them. The offending passenger’s partner “looked and rolled his eyes,” OP recalls.
According to the passengers, facing a stranger was not typical for them, but the show was so loud that they felt they had to step out of their comfort zone.
“Usually I never say anything and put on my headphones. But this was so loud you could still hear it through the headphones,” they wrote, adding that they almost alerted the flight attendant, “but they weren’t around.”
Despite the slight awkwardness of the situation, the user said they were “glad” they spoke up, as the flight was “so peaceful” afterwards.
A person uses his phone on an airplane.
Jorge Aguado Martin/Getty Stock Image
The awkward interaction inspired a number of other Reddit users to share their equally annoying encounters.
One commenter said he had “the exact same experience” on a recent flight. The passenger, who was estimated to be in his 50s, began “Facetime and videoing at full volume” before takeoff and continued in the air for a long time. In response, the passengers “exchanged glances, looked ‘around’ at him and tried to call him [flight attendants]to no avail,” they explained.
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“I finally got up, turned around and asked him to turn down the volume or use headphones,” the user recalled. “The funny thing is, he said, ‘Oh, sure, no problem,’ and he did it right away. As if he had no idea that he was breaking protocol and just needed to be asked. Figure it out.”
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In response, the original poster revealed that their experience was similar as the person who blew up their phone in flight also seemed to be unaware of the volume.
“I think the same thing happened here,” replied the original poster. “They were completely unaware of how loud it was.”
In addition, they added, the passenger “was a little uncomfortable after that.”
PEOPLE previously spoke with travel consultant Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Travel about basic airplane etiquette.
Jackson explained that any in-flight disagreements should be handled by flight attendants because they are trained to confront passengers about it.
“I’m always in favor of involving flight attendants in in-flight emergencies,” Jackson said. “Tensions are high when we travel, and they would know, for example, if there is another aisle seat or another solution to this problem. They have more context than us travelers.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education