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You Actually Should Stand Up ASAP When the Plane Lands, Says Travel Expert: Here’s Why (Exclusive)

Travel pro Nicole Campoy Jackson says standing immediately after the fasten seat belt sign turns off is actually to everyone’s benefit

By Natalia Senanayake for People

Published on March 15, 2024 04:42PM EDT

• PEOPLE spoke to writer and travel advisor Nicole Campoy Jackson about this controversial bit of deplaning etiquette 
• Jackson revealed that standing up immediately once the fasten seat belt sign is turned off, especially if you’re in the aisle seat, is the most considerate thing to do 
• Aisle passengers gathering their belongings and preparing to exit in advance of the cabin door opening also benefits middle and window seat passengers, she says

Standing up when the airplane lands is one of the most controversial moves in air travel — drawing mockery from some who say it saves mere seconds, and ire from others hoping to have a calm, orderly exit.

Once that fasten seatbelt sign turns off, the aisles can become a free-for-all where passengers try to beat fellow fliers to unload their own luggage from the overhead bins. In the process, some people get bumped by bags while others try to sit tight to avoid the mayhem. 

To solve this age old conundrum, PEOPLE spoke with travel advisor Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Travel.

The aisle seat passenger standing up immediately once the fasten seat belt sign is turned off, she says, “makes sense for a number of reasons.”

“First, everyone’s been sitting for hours, you may just want to hop up to get the blood flowing,” she tells PEOPLE. “Second, the person in the middle seat will appreciate the aisle seat opening up as they collect their things.”

“Lastly,” she adds, “it does feel good to get the next step in the process going.” While doing this “likely saves a matter of seconds at most,” Jackson explains that the rule mostly serves a “considerate, mental, and emotional” purpose for all passengers on the flight. 

However, Jackson notes, this only works if everyone is careful to be conscious of their surroundings. Stressful situations arise when passengers only focus on their needs and ignore others’ personal space.

“The worst version is when people are basically standing on each other’s toes, bags squished together in the aisle, people nearly dropping carry-ons onto the heads of passengers still seated,” she says. “Standing is a yes. Making others feel crammed, inconvenienced, or like you’re trying to cut ahead of them is a no,”  

Ultimately, everyone has the same end goal: to get off the plane as quickly as possible. If everyone takes their turn to get their bags and is courteous when they start standing up, then the process will go smoothly. 

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Jackson also revealed to PEOPLE that the number one thing passengers should absolutely not do at the end of a flight is to comment on how slowly others are moving. 

“Every airplane passenger wants off that flight, whether it was a 2 hour hop or a 16 hour haul. Some people move more slowly, some are pro travelers who have their disembarking process down. You don’t get to choose how fast they move and yelling always makes things more stressful, not less.” 

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She acknowledges that it is a different situation if you’re trying to make a connecting flight, but being rude is still not the way to go. 

“If you have a short connection time, you make it known and hope that your fellow passengers will help you get off the plane quickly,” Jackson says. 

While it’s far from guaranteed, in a few special instances passengers may even agree to remain seated while those with a tight connection or extenuating circumstances exit first, like this plane did for a dad seated in the last row and trying to make it to his twins’ father-daughter dance did.