Even in the 21st century, as safe as it is, travel can be unpredictable. Weather and human error can add up and make routine trips uncomfortable. Flying, for example, forces you to sit in a long, metal tube, often for hours. Everyone has their own horror stories of turbulence, loud children, and the misbehavior of other passengers.
A man documented the extended ranting of an airplane passenger who was fed up with a crying baby. While deep down, we all can somewhat relate, most of us would probably not take it out on the crew and other passengers. The irate passengers’ torrent of anger was so humorous that the video went viral.
More info: TikTok
Flight delays and crying babies are not fun for anyone, but an adult should be able to keep it together
Image credits: Paul Hanaoka (not the actual photo)
A man on this way to Florida documented a passenger who exploded with rage at a crying baby after they were forced to delay landing due to weather
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
Image credits: mjgrabowski
You can view the whole TikTok here
Air travel does come with a lot of stressors that can push people to the edge
“Air rage,” or the general trend of people being irate on an airplane is so widespread that researchers have begun quantitative studies to try and pinpoint why this kind of travel just makes us so grumpy. One study questioned hundreds of passengers on what caused them the most discomfort. Confinement and other people were the number one answer. We’ll get to the other factors in a bit. Still, just the combination of these two has created a boatload (or planeload, if you will) of interpersonal drama, often ending with concussions, passengers being physically dragged off an airplane by security, and riot-like scenes from unruly airport visitors. The story from this TikTok is almost familiar, as there are hundreds of similar videos of “air rage” out there.
Yes, this behavior is immature at best and downright dangerous at its worst, but it’s important to look at the picture as a whole. Air travel isn’t just being on an airplane. Airports, which are often situated on the outskirts of a city, are a hassle in of themselves, with check-ins, security, lines, and flights that require you to get up a lot earlier than you would normally. Plus those aforementioned people? They are all at the airport with you. The constant noise, hunger, tiredness, and even smells all play a factor in making a passenger feel under attack by a hundred tiny irritations. Being an adult means not making these irritations someone else’s problem, but you can’t expect a literal baby to know that.
Image credits: Rahul Singh (not the actual photo)
“Air rage” is becoming unfortunately more common
Even boarding the plane can create some level of agitation. First, you often have to wait in line, after waiting in at least one other line at the airport. If you are flying first class, some of your troubles might end there, if not, you have to walk past the already-seated people on your way to economy. Researchers have found that this feeling of envy often manifests as inner “air rage,” which has the potential to explode outwards if there is some other trigger, such as a delay. It’s all the worse to be sitting in an uncomfortable seat with too little legroom while you know that some people up front are probably a lot more comfortable. To be clear, none of this is a justification to scream and shout at the crew or other passengers.
Unfortunately, these incidents have slowly become more common, to the point that, in the US, roughly a third of passenger-induced disruptions actually necessitated flight diversions. Even though it boils down to a handful of such flights a year, most of us aren’t actually hopping on a plane day in and day out. No one wants their yearly holiday disrupted because an infantile adult has thrown a hissy fit. Ideally, people would learn to be better adjusted and deal with their psychological hold-ups. This is probably not going to happen. This TikTok involved a grown man yelling “If you put them cuffs on that kid, I’m good with going to jail,” which is just not even on the same planet as rationality.
Some did see the passenger’s side of it, as being trapped in a confined space with a noisy baby is highly distressing
Commenters had a field day laughing at the man’s incessant tirade against the baby and aircrew
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