The skies have become the wild, wild west of manners—an audition for the 'Worst Airline Behavior' as pax push the limits on commercial flights.
The latest episode of "Please, No! Tales from 30,000 Feet," involves a Delta passenger's toe-tally audacious behaviour while treating the seatback entertainment system like a foot-operated touchscreen, using their bare toes to swipe through channels.
"Sitting in the first class bulkhead, they have one bare foot propped up against the bulkhead wall," View from the Wing reports.
The other foot plays a game of footsie with the touchscreen.
It's a cringeworthy ballet that's equal parts horrifying and hilarious, making the decision by airlines to remove seatback entertainment screens from their fleet suddenly seem validated.
Passenger Shaming, the brainchild of exasperated flight attendant Shawn Kathleen, has become the go-to destination for those seeking a front-row seat to airborne absurdity. With 1.4 million followers and counting, it's proof that there's a market for witnessing the worst of human behaviour.
For the infrequent flier, this self-proclaimed curator of cringe offers a smorgasbord of disturbing onboard behaviour for public consumption.
However, Shawn Kathleen's journey from flight attendant to viral sensation wasn't without turbulence. Her employer, not exactly thrilled with her candid snapshots of airborne buffoonery, gave her the boot in 2013.
But, she persisted in her mission to shame the shameless.
A Wild West in the Skies
Cell phone footage of sky-high debacles, including feces in the aisles, discarded prophylactics, and in-seat toenail and nose hair grooming, has us wishing for the COVID-19 era when heightened sanitization was a thing.
While recalling her wildest experiences as an airline crew member, which included finding a man smoking crack in the aircraft lavatory, Shawn Kathleen told CBC News that she has received death threats for her online platform.
But this has yet to divert her.
"It's kind of nice to put it out there for people to see it's not OK to do this," she shared.
This merits a spot on the Do Not Fly list pic.twitter.com/UO2P6t3MEl
— Eade (@eade_bengard) December 22, 2023
From Black Tie to Bare Feet
In the golden era of air travel, the 1960s exuded an aura of sophistication and formality that seems almost foreign in today's skies.
Back then, pax dressed to the nines and manners were as much a carry-on item as a suitcase. Flying was an event, an occasion to be savoured.
These days, "You can take the passenger out of economy, but you can't take economy out of the passenger," writes View from the Wing.
Legal Turbulence
Legal experts caution against joining the passenger-shaming bandwagon, citing potential legal headaches for both the accuser and the accused.
It's a legal minefield that's best navigated with caution, or better yet, by avoiding behaviour that might end up immortalized on social media for all eternity.
But for Shawn Kathleen, the threats and backlash are just minor turbulence on her crusade against mile-high misbehavior. As she boldly proclaims, those who oppose her can "kiss her passport."
Say it Louder for the People in the Back!
Other pain points for airline crew are travellers who use overhead bins to store items that aren't deemed luggage and women who spray perfume or paint their nails onboard.
"Let's just not do this," another former flight attendant scolds in an interview with Passenger Shaming.
This is some NEXT LEVEL selfishness ????????????????
byu/MrWhippyMan inPassengerShaming
Who needs in-flight entertainment when you have the sheer spectacle of humanity unfolding before your eyes?
The message to travellers who dare to defy the norms of civilized behaviour is that the world is watching, and the internet never forgets.
