If you’re anything like me, the minute the plane has hit the tarmac and the seatbelt signs are off, you scramble to your feet, step out into the aisle and impatiently start taking your cabin luggage out from the overhead locker – even if the doors aren’t open and there’s nowhere for you to go.
But such behaviour could now land you a $70 (around £51) fine if you’re not careful.
In a bid to clamp down on the number of passengers getting up before the aircraft has finished taxiing to the terminal, Turkey’s civil aviation authority has set out the new measure, which proposes that flyers stay seated – even when the seatbelt sign is off and the plane has come to a stop – until it is their row’s turn to leave the aircraft.
“According to the regulation, airlines are obliged to remind passengers to fasten their seatbelts during and after landing until they reach the parking position and to explicitly point out that any infringement will be reported to the aviation authority, and a fine will be imposed,” German news agency DPA reported.
Turkey is not only the sixth most-visited country in the world, attracting some 16 million tourists each year, but its flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines, also operates nearly 400,000 flights annually and in 131 countries.
Passenger safety and security
According to James Morgan*, cabin crew for a leading international airline, there are a number of reasons why passengers should avoid premature disembarkation. He tells Condé Nast Traveller: “Standing as soon as the seatbelt signs have been extinguished is incredibly frustrating for other passengers around them, who may not be able to stand due to their position on the aircraft (i.e. a middle seat occupier), and at times, the standing wait could be lengthy while the air bridge or steps are attached and the aircraft doors safely opened.”
He also stresses that, beyond the inconvenience of it, it’s primarily about the safety and security of the aircraft, passengers and crew.
“Firstly, with everyone standing in the aisles, they block the view for the crew who are required to actively supervise and monitor the whole aircraft and the aircraft doors,” he says. “There is the added safety implication that opening overhead lockers while everyone is standing could cause injury. Items may have moved during landing, which could easily fall and hit a passenger.
“In addition, as passengers rush and take their items out of the lockers, there is a tighter pivot
rotation due to other passengers standing either side of you in, let’s face it, quite close
proximity. This, again, could result in a passenger being hit in the head or body with an item
from the locker as it’s being manoeuvred out and to the floor.”
The second issue, from a safety perspective, is rushing and potential crushing, according to Morgan. He explains: “The aisles on all aircraft are not particularly wide and with passengers
rushing to disembark, the risk of crushing is heightened – as is the case whenever there are large
gatherings of people.”
“From a security point of view, the authorities, police, paramedics, immigration, port health, etc, may wish to enter the aircraft to assist a passenger, arrest a passenger, and so on,” Morgan adds. “In these situations, we would usually make a PA [public address] either from the onboard management, captain, or both, requesting that passengers need to remain in their seats. However, due to language barriers, neurodiversity, desire to catch a tight connecting flight and so on, passengers may still proceed with standing and moving along the aisles when requested not to.”
From Morgan’s perspective, he thinks fines are a “brilliant idea” that all aviation bodies across the world should adopt, as it’s just a “much nicer, more civilised and calm way to disembark an aircraft, in a very controlled, safe and secure manner.”
Staggered disembarkation
Staggered disembarkation is another measure designed to prevent passengers standing up before the aircraft is ready to be disembarked from. It was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, with airlines allowing batches of passengers to leave the plane at any one time, in order to curb the spread of the disease.
Owing to the success of the system at the time, many airlines and aerospace companies have since been looking at ways to encourage this practice. For example, Airbus said previously that its engineers were working on a lighting system to promote safe and comfortable off-boarding.
“The solution is a novel lighting design based on simple traffic guiding principles: the scenario uses different cabin illumination combinations to indicate the rows which are designated to disembark next. The lighting scenarios complement the verbal cues given by the cabin crew to facilitate an orderly and rush-free departure from the plane,” the press release read.
Similarly, some airlines play music when you board and leave the plane to set the tone for the journey and calm nerves. There have been many studies over the years that have linked music to stress management, with researchers at Stanford University stating that "listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication."
The cause (and cure) for impatience
So, why do some of us jump the gun? And is there a psychological reason for this behaviour?
Paul Dickens, chartered member of the British Psychological Society and accredited aviation psychologist, tells Condé Nast Traveller that patience is linked to the personality factor of conscientiousness.
“People high on that scale tend to be organised, methodical and disciplined. They can also put up with short-term loss for longer-term gain, so they can defer gratification,” he explains. “So, if they are in a situation which requires patience, they will tolerate the short-term frustration – knowing that longer-term gratification will happen.”
For me, personally, it isn’t so much about my eagerness to start my holiday as it is to get out of a confined, stuffy space. I am not keen on flying anyway, but my anxiety is heightened if I’ve had a particularly turbulent flight, a long-haul journey, or I’ve got a connection to make on the other side. Add to the mix the lack of air conditioning – which is usually switched off at this point – and I feel myself growing more and more flustered by the minute, desperate to get off.
Dickens agrees that there are a number of reasons for our impatience when it comes to disembarking an aircraft – or passing through the gate at departures, for that matter – and it isn’t necessarily as simple as having bad manners or being inconsiderate of others (thank goodness).
“If you’re at all anxious, it makes sense that you’d wish to get away from the source of that anxiety. It's almost like, ‘I’ve arrived, therefore, I want to get out and be free’,” he says.
Likewise, those travelling for business may be worried about making an important meeting: “There’s an added level of stress caused by this, especially if you need to get across the city and other people are counting on you. And if you fly regularly for business, you might get frustrated by people who are less seasoned travellers than you, because they tend to hold things up.”
I also tend to travel solo more often than not, and find that because the onus is on me alone to ensure a smooth journey, I feel more pressure and impatience than when I have a travelling companion.
Dickens confirms that who you are travelling with can alter the dynamics, acknowledging that those with dependents and young children, for example, may feel stressed because their kids are crying or distressed.
Indeed, a recent study by the University of Riverside found that the main stressors when it comes to impatience are: how unpleasant the situation is; how much you want to achieve something; the blameworthiness of others around you; and whether the delay in action is longer than you anticipated it would be – though the length of the delay did not itself matter.
When it comes to managing impatience and stress levels, Dickens says there are personality interventions we can take – and exercises such as controlled breathing, focusing on the longer-term gain, counting to ten and diverting our attention to the positives of the situation can help.
*Some names have been changed