Do middle seats on planes have the right to both armrests? Before reclining their seat, passengers should check the row in front of them. Can shoes be removed during a flight or is it not allowed?
It depends on whom you ask. Or, if you are on TikTok it depends on the influencers you follow.
The platform continues to be flooded with videos of creators who share their travel etiquette dos and donts. Many users get into heated debates in the comment section. FlightTok is a term that has been coined to describe these videos.
Posting travel problems on social media or complaining about other passengers is nothing new. Online platforms have been used by agitated travelers to share their bad travel experiences.
Everyone can understand that there are people misbehaving all over the place, even if they think it’s a joke.
Ben Keenan is known as @ivebentraveling in TikTok
Experts and travel influencers claim that the increase in videos on plane etiquette has increased as travel continues to rebound and people find themselves in situations they haven’t been in since the pandemic.
“I believe everyone can relate to people misbehaving all over the place, even if they are just making a joke. Right?” Ben Keenan is the creator of this video. He goes by @ivebentraveling.
Keenan (30) went viral for posting his controversial list of plane etiquette rules in April. He advised passengers to not fall asleep in aisle seats and to greet flight attendants at all times.
The video quickly gathered hundreds of thousands views. People either agreed or shared why they didn’t.
Browse through the “FlightTok”, and you’ll find similar discussions in both the creator videos and comments sections.
One user suggested that people who reclined their seats should be punished by having cold air blown over them. After three hours of nonstop baby crying, , another user, , argued , that babies don’t belong on flights. was defended for refusing to allow another passenger to swap seats. TikToker reports that a woman was looking to swap her middle seat for the window seat of another passenger to be nearer to her teenage son. “I paid an extra fee for this seat. The video creator says, “I’m going sit in the seat that I paid extra for.”
Travel influencers Matt & Hillary, behind @HillnPoo on TikTok, have recently divided the internet by urging passengers to not stow coats and jackets above the baggage area. “Are you wrong to think that storing jackets and coats in overhead baggage is illegal?” They wrote the caption.
Diane Gottsman is an etiquette specialist who believes that “people are divided because they have different triggers.” Everyone has different personalities and different frustrations. The person who is frustrated by having to change seats might not even care that the person next to them is eating a tuna-sandwich.
Gottsman added that “anytime multiple people are placed together in close quarters there is the potential for conflict.”
Gottsman explained that people, in general, “don’t want to be told what they should do.” This could explain the vocal opposition to some recommendations on plane etiquette. Some lists of do’s or don’ts may be perceived negatively if they’re perceived as commands rather than requests. The tone of commanding or judging can elicit strong reactions and increase the number participants in an online discussion.
Some of the viral videos on plane etiquette show tense passenger interactions. Online viewers often argue about who is “right” and “wrong.”
Keenan has a TikTok Playlist called “Travel for Dummies” and he said that he was surprised at the number of commenters who experienced similar poor etiquette. For example, “a band-aid from the person sitting next to you being flicked onto the floor,” or “people not asking for you to move but instead scooting you over to get out of a seat.”
He said that he was wary of how social media makes it easier to post disagreements on the internet, rather than talking with other passengers about an issue as it unfolds.
Keenan concluded that “none is this life or death.” It’s not that serious. Everyone can relate to it, and everyone has an opinion about the subject.
