After getting comfy in your window seat, and watching a whole series of Real Housewives, you’ve finally landed in paradise.
The only thing left to do is disembark the plane and start your holiday. Easy enough, right?
But before you can take a sip of that first Aperol Spritz, you have to wait, getting increasingly thirsty, as your fellow passengers engage in what Metro has coined ‘premature rising‘.
This particularly frustrating travel habit takes place just after the plane has touched down on the tarmac. Despite the clear instruction to remain seated, some people apparently take this as just a suggestion – deciding instead to stand up, begin collecting their belongings, and start shoving their way down the aisle.
Premature risers are interested in one thing and one thing only: getting their bags and getting first in line at passport control. They’re ruthless, cut-throat, and motivated.
Long story short, they’d make for a fabulous contestant on The Traitors.
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Premature risers have caused such a commotion that in May 2025, Turkey announced that it would be introducing a new fine for any airline passengers who stand up, unbuckle their seatbelts, or open overhead lockers before the plane has come to a complete stop at the gate.
The fine, which is alleged to be approximately £50, is there to deter passengers from rushing off the plane and to try and ensure safety measures are properly followed.
Travel influencer @travelwiththeharmony welcomed the decision, saying that premature risers (especially those who book seats at the back of the plane and then rush forward upon landing) should be ‘banned from flying’. The creator also mentioned that he’d be keen on the policy being introduced in the US.
But, even with airlines taking a more strict approach, it’s likely these pesky premature risers will still find ways to get themselves into pole position.
What is your opinion on premature risers on flights?
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They are annoying and should be fined.
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Doesn't everyone do it...?
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I get it, we all just want to get off the plane
‘It makes the entire experience so much more stressful’
Amelia Jackson, 26, is a frequent flyer and finds premature rising to be one of the most aggravating element of plane travel.
The shop owner from Brighton tells Metro: ‘After we land, I tend to just sit there until either everyone’s got off or there’s a good gap for me to get up and grab my bag.
‘There’s nothing more overstimulating than trying to put my shoes back on and grab my jacket and bag, and there’s a person right behind me trying to rush me.’
Amelia also questions why those with hold luggage feel the need to be first off anyway. She adds: ‘If you have a suitcase checked in, you’re going to be waiting by the conveyor belt anyway, so why rush out? Just chill people.’
It’s safe to say that Med Abdallah, 33, agrees. ‘I can’t stand the people who stand up the second the plane lands. It’s as if they want to sprint off and save the day,’ the social media strategist and creator tells Metro.
‘The plane hasn’t even parked, the doors aren’t open and somehow you’ve decided that now is the moment to shove your way into the aisle and start yanking your bag out the overhead.
‘Just sit down for thirty seconds, let the crew do their job, and stop acting like you’ve got fast track at Alton Towers.’
‘There needs to be a shared sense of courtesy and consideration on everyone’s part’
Metro spoke to Laura Windsor, dubbed by the public the Queen of Etiquette, about how exactly one should handle premature risers, without fully losing the plot and being escorted away by airport security.
While Laura agreed that when the seatbelt sign is still illuminated, it is both ‘logical and appropriate for everyone to remain seated,’ she did also remind us to give our fellow passengers some grace.
‘It is understandable that passengers would be eager to disembark,’ she says. ‘By that stage, most people are simply keen to leave a journey they have endured.’
What’s important to remember, Laura emphasises, is that ‘a degree of understanding in such situations is essential from both sides. Anyone who has had to retrieve luggage stored further down the aisle will know that a certain amount of courteous shuffling should be tolerated.
‘However, collecting one’s belongings should, of course, be done with the utmost consideration for others and with minimal disruption.’
Men, are you guilty of this 'unacceptable' plane habit?
Long-time flight attendant Cher Killough has one pet peeve that ticks her off most; a habit that men in particular should take note to avoid.
In a TikTok video, the Dallas-based airline worker previously listed things she believes ‘should be illegal to do’ on a plane.
Number one was manspreading, or more specifically, ‘manspreading when you’re in a middle seat’.
This of course, refers to when people (normally inconsiderate men) sit with their knees so far apart that they take up more space than their seat allows, encroaching on people either side.
‘I’ve been a passenger, and had it numerous times, where men will spread their knees all the way into my seat section or the person’s on the other side’ said Cher. ‘It’s just unacceptable.’
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