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.
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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.
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“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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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