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Passenger slams co-fliers over poor etiquette on 20-hour flight: 'Chaotic nightmare'
The traveller said that the flight, originally scheduled to last around 16 hours, stretched to almost 20 hours because of a mid-air medical emergency.
A passenger recently shared his frustrating experience aboard a nearly 20-hour international flight, claiming fellow travellers turned the journey into a "chaotic nightmare" by chatting loudly, letting children repeatedly kick seats and ignoring basic flight etiquette.
In a Reddit post titled "Paid for extra legroom on a 20-hour flight, ended up in a chaotic nightmare. Here's why basic flight etiquette needs to change," the traveller said that the flight from Vancouver to Delhi was originally scheduled to last around 16 hours, but stretched to almost 20 hours because of a mid-air medical emergency and a 3.5-hour tarmac hold.
He said that he had paid extra for a bulkhead seat, hoping to get some rest during the long journey. However, he claimed that the extra space in front of the seat became a gathering spot for other passengers.
"Because of the open space in front of my seat near the lavatories, a group of passengers treated it like a living room. They gathered right in front of me, chatting and laughing loudly for hours with zero spatial awareness," the passenger wrote.
(Also Read: Haryana man claims Singapore Airlines denied his wife an extra bread, airline responds)
The traveller also complained about a child repeatedly kicking the seat and drumming on the tray table throughout the flight. "A kid behind me spent hours kicking my seat and drumming on the tray table. When I politely asked her in Hindi to stop, she said she only understood English. I asked calmly in English, she stopped for 10 minutes, and then went right back to it," the post read.
The passenger further claimed that the child's mother ignored the issue despite being informed twice. "To make it worse, the kid's mother completely ignored the situation even after I brought it to her attention twice," the user wrote.
The user also argued that passengers should not expect others to wear noise-cancelling headphones throughout a long-haul flight just to block out loud conversations.
"As an Indian myself, this was really disappointing to experience. We already face stereotypes and casual racism globally-the absolute least we can do is represent ourselves better when travelling," the Redditor said, urging fellow passengers not to gather in the aisles or bulkhead areas, to ensure children do not disturb others and to be mindful of those trying to sleep.
(Also Read: All three pilots on British Airways flight fall ill midair after Hyderabad stopover: ‘One incapacitated at 30,000 ft’)
How did Reddit react?
The post drew a mix of reactions, with some users sharing similar experiences and others saying such behaviour is common across airlines.
One user wrote, "I had a very similar experience on Air Canada Toronto - Mumbai flight. One of the reasons I now prefer layover over direct flights."
"This is nothing specific to air india. I had same experience in klm Europe to america. They were all drinking beer, atlast i joined them," commented another.
"You think other airlines flying out of Delhi are filled with proper etiquette firangs? These people are in all flights. It's just your dumb luck that you got more of them this time," wrote a third user.
"I was flying Lufthansa economy many years ago, and Indian gentleman opened his tiffin sat on the floor in the aisle and began eating as if it was his dining room. We Indians arent the best of travelers, our basic civic sense is non existent. I am an Indian, I love my country , but this is the reality," said another.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
