After some “complaining” and dirty looks from fellow travelers, the passenger decided to intervene, as they explained on Reddit
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Stock image of a passenger on his phone in an airplane
An airline passenger talks about an uncomfortable – and recognizable – travel interaction.
On a recent flight, a fellow traveler, whom the passenger estimated to be in his 20s, was “watching a show at full volume on his phone in the next row,” the person shared in a Nov. 7 Reddit post.
The show was so loud that other passengers “complained” and gave dirty looks, they explained. But as time went on, no one said anything – until the Reddit user decided to intervene.
“After 15 minutes I finally got up and asked them if they could turn it down,” the original poster (OP) wrote, noting parenthetically that they “might have said it btw.” [a] certain tone.”
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“They ended up turning it down,” the user revealed, but not without a response from the person next to them. The offending passenger's partner “looked over and rolled his eyes,” the OP recalls.
According to the traveler, confronting a stranger was unusual for them, but the show was so loud that they felt like they had to step outside their comfort zone.
“Normally I never say anything and put on my headphones. But this was so loud you could still hear it through the headphones,” they wrote, adding that they almost alerted a flight attendant, “but they weren't there.”
Despite the slightly awkward situation, the user said they were “glad” they had spoken up because the flight afterwards was “so peaceful.”
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A person uses his phone on an airplane
The awkward interaction inspired countless other Reddit users to share their equally awkward encounters.
One commenter said they had “the exact same experience” on a recent flight. A fellow passenger, who they estimated was in his 50s, began “blaring FaceTime and videos at full volume” before takeoff and was left hanging well into the air. In response, the passengers exchanged glances, gave him the eye and tried to call him [flight attendants]but to no avail,” they explained.
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“I finally got up, turned around and asked him to turn it down or use earplugs,” the user recalled. “The funny thing is that he said, 'Oh yeah, no problem,' and immediately did it. It was as if he had no idea at all that he was breaking protocol and that he simply had to be asked. Go figure.”
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In response, the original poster revealed that their experience was similar, as the person blowing up their phone during the flight also seemed oblivious to the volume.
“I think the same thing happened here,” the original poster replied. “They were completely unaware of how loud it was.”
Moreover, they added, the passenger felt a little embarrassed afterwards.
PEOPLE previously spoke with travel advisor Nicole Campoy Jackson of Fora Travel about basic airplane etiquette.
Jackson explained that any issues during the flight should be handled by flight attendants because they are trained to confront passengers about them.
“I always plan to use a flight attendant for awkward in-flight situations,” Jackson said. “Tensions run high when we are traveling and they know, for example, whether there is still an aisle seat or another solution to this problem. They have more context than we, the passengers, do.”
