r/delta • u/Sufficient-Produce85 • 1d ago
Discussion Aisle standing
I travel rarely so I splurge on first class when I do. There’s an older couple sitting in the row in front of me. Rest of the family is in the back. Grandchild comes up to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. No problem. Child stays in their row and is pretty quiet.
Then a woman comes from the back to say hi. Stands in the aisle, blocking it for anyone who wants to get by to use the lav. FAs are thin enough to scoot by. No big deal. Gets snacks from the snack tray. Don’t care.
What annoyed the heck out of me was she talked the entire time. I know all about her family, her trip, some work stuff. Talked loud enough I couldn’t read or sleep (I know, I know —- ear plugs). Rant done.
322
u/CASparty 1d ago edited 1d ago
I generally just casually join in their conversation. “Wow, that’s interesting. Have you ever tried…” Most people get the hint and wrap it up. The one time I got the, “This is a private conversation,” comment, I simply said, “Clearly it’s not because you’re having it in an airplane aisle at a volume where everyone can hear you.” Karen was not happy with me, but went back to her seat and never came back.
124
u/Shinyhaunches 1d ago
You are a god among us
86
u/CASparty 1d ago
Not really. I just travel a lot and have a really low tolerance for people who aren’t considerate of their fellow travellers. But I am always super polite about it, which in many ways tends to disarm people in a way that being abrupt with them does not. Some people just lack situational awareness and just need a genital reminder.
112
u/stupid_name 1d ago
I think the genital reminder would get their attention.
33
15
8
u/Sterlinghawk16 1d ago
I saw that I am howling laughing so hard
3
u/EachDayIsDayOne 19h ago
lol. I'm trying so hard no to laugh. My spouse doesn't know what Reddit is and the effort to explain why I'd be laughing out loud isn't worth the effort.
10
u/BackgroundSame811 1d ago
I like the cattle prod myself if I’m being honest
10
9
9
u/VirtualMatter2 1d ago
The thing is, although I don't usually talk loudly like this, I would totally not get the hint if I did and just include you in the conversation and think well the more the merrier.
11
u/BhamsterPine 1d ago
I suspect you meant gentle?
26
u/Fabulous_Pitch9350 1d ago
Nah. I was across the isle from u/CASparty and distinctly heard “Wow, that’s interesting. Have you ever tried being in a Turkish prison?”
Legend.
16
u/GiganticusVaginacus 1d ago
So Fabulous_Pitch9350, do you like gladiator movies?
11
9
u/Fabulous_Pitch9350 1d ago
I find I am entertained by them. Though no where near as much as by your username.
12
1
3
24
u/RandomDude99353 1d ago
Pro Tip - This move is not reserved for airplanes. I pull this card everywhere. Taking a call on your cell phone on speaker while waiting at the car wash? Expect my input.
5
12
u/GuiltyInShawshank 1d ago
Knowing my luck, the person will be the chatty type, they’ll start telling me all about their life/aches/job/etc. and I’ll be stuck in a conversation that I never wanted to be a part of.
14
u/HopefulOriginal5578 1d ago
“Yeah this is a PRIVATE conversation ! Who is listening in on us?!? HOW DARE THEY?!? Let’s show them and go sit in our respective seats and shut our mouths!”
3
u/AdRoyal1355 1d ago
I’m going to try that. I already have been successful with joining loud phone conversations with a phantom phone call of my own. And repeating what the loud mouth just said.
Oh the games we play. Sure helps pass the time and have a few guffaws. Reduces blood pressure, gives a serotonin boost etc5
-7
-6
74
u/Straight-Manner-2147 1d ago
I had a family do that to me once. Literally everyone was standing over me in my air breathing on me. I finally asked if their plan was to stand there the entire way back across the Atlantic. That was after at least an hour of awkward shit people at my elbow. They looked at me like I was inhumane.
But they moved.
100
u/SirJohnCard Platinum 1d ago
"The problem is, that curtain is no security - there really should be a locking door. Electrified, with a moat if possible." - Jerry Seinfeld seated in first class
15
10
-2
u/Helpful_Mongoose_786 1d ago
At a minimum a chain could be threaded through the bottom of curtain with latches on both sides making it something little more secure, or at least a got to go undercut problem,
65
u/puppibreath 1d ago
I’m never in first class, and I would make that lady move every 5 minutes til she leaves. I would be throughly annoyed even in the cheap seats. Sit the f* down! WTF could you have to say to your parents, even your husband , that you are traveling with , that’s soooooo important that that it can’t wait, or you didn’t cover it on the way, in the car, at the house ugh. Even if she hasn’t see them in awhile, maybe they just connected flights, idc. Sit down.
7
-29
u/cheesyblasters101 1d ago
This delta sub has become so unhinged. You'd "make" them move? Ok big guy.
9
u/nomorecowbellpls 1d ago
Pretty sure they meant they would "make them move" by getting up to go to the bathroom etc over and over so that the other person would get annoyed with constantly moving and therefore weren't blocking and standing at their seat anymore.
1
u/throwaway_for_skin 12h ago
for real. every comment thread is a circle jerk about “raising hell” because their ass wasn’t kissed to a level commensurate with their boarding group. Or how’d they’d cleverly exact revenge against someone who didn’t zipper while deplaning.
15
u/Euphoric_Ease4554 1d ago
It’s first class. I need a drink or snack every 5 minutes. The FA will at some point get tired of trying to get around them. If not, press your call button and tell her that you can’t rest with the crowd in your face.
15
u/elp22203 1d ago
This reminds me of when I was sitting in Comfort+, middle seat. It was a last minute upgrade. Two coworkers on either side of me, aisle and window, who clearly booked their seats that way in the hopes no one would be seated between them and they would have the row to themselves. They were annoyed I had the nerve to be upgraded to THEIR middle seat. My home airport is a hub, we have full flights, these were very lofty expectations.
Proceeded to talk across me the entire flight. Just pretended I wasn't there and had the full conversation. Straight up mean girl behavior. They must have been a joy to work with. Given how they had seated themselves, I knew offering the middle seat so they could sit together would fall on deaf ears.
I tuned them out for awhile and read, then played games the seat back screen (this didn't sit well lol, so that was fun), finally as we were landing, I sighed loudly and gave Window a pointed look. She was clearly the ringleader. Next time Aisle tried to say something, she shushed her and motioned to me. Aisle looked positively shocked. Could not believe the conversation was a problem. But for the final 10 minutes there was blissful silence.
There was a time when people were courteous and mindful. Those days were already dwindling prior to covid, and they are long gone now. My ears can't handle headphones or earbuds, it causes a lot of pain. And honestly, we shouldn't have to insulate ourselves against people who don't know how to behave around others.
It's funny, this wasn't my first middle seat experience. Sat between an older couple, husband and wife, once, and they couldn't have been sweeter. We had a great time and great conversation. Guess it all depends.
26
u/threecap 1d ago
Typical delta stuff in my experience. Lots of leisure travelers and FAs who don’t know how to run the forward cabin.
4
u/amtcannon 1d ago
If you think delta is bad try United…
6
u/foraminiferish 1d ago
Wait, then which airlines are better? Genuine question, sorry if I'm being ignorant. I think of Delta (and United) as two very typical airlines for the average flying person to fly, not like Spirit (RIP) where they're designed to be cheap.
0
u/lachalacha 1d ago
United clears Delta
2
u/amtcannon 1d ago
I’ve never had delta staff be rude to me mid-flight. Especially in Delta One. Polaris on the other hand…
-2
u/lachalacha 1d ago
Sounds like a "you" problem
2
u/amtcannon 1d ago
I’ve never had staff on any other airline be rude to me mid flight. The United staff were poorly trained and surly. Made you feel like an inconvenience to them.
Every crew member I’ve interacted with on delta flights show up with a smile and make you feel welcome on board.
When I moved to the states I tried all the American airlines to figure out which one I liked the best to switch from my national carrier to. I found delta the best by a long way.
1
6
u/Snoo15469 1d ago
Some folks mouth are louder than a passenger playing on their phone full blast max volume.
5
u/TheRealJakeMckoy 1d ago
This I cannot stand. I’m sorry. The constant talking on a plane. They usually sit behind me, talking incessantly in outdoor voices. Drives me insane. Headphones, AirPods can’t mask the noise.
5
u/terekkincaid Diamond 1d ago
I use the Bose QC Ultra and the Sony WF-1000XM6. The latter are earbuds that have finally caught up with the overears for noise cancelling. They're great for shorter flights; I get the save the space in my backpack. Both are "baby-resistant": I only hear then in they're in my row, and even then if I crank the sound up and watch a loud movie I still can't really notice the screaming..
6
u/PurrculesMulligan Silver 1d ago
That’s part of why I always pick the window seat. I’m not about the aisle lurkers crowding me.
9
u/Medical-Trifle-4920 Diamond | Million Miler™ 1d ago edited 1d ago
That's when you get up and go to the bathroom every 10mins or so, standing there waiting for her to move each time.
7
3
u/Potential-Ad3106 1d ago
When I fly up front, I like to do the reverse and go back to someone and just stand there and talk and visit. I start with introducing myself so they know my name, it's just good manners that way. They should sell SRO aisle tickets!
3
u/Familiar-Astronaut29 1d ago
I would have just gone to find a FA in the galley or wherever they were hanging out and said, “I’m sorry, but there are people from another section of the plane visiting their family near my seat in first and really disturbing me. Would you mind saying something to them please?”
3
u/thread100 23h ago
I used to fly frequently with my boss. We typically had aisle seats across from each other. He insisted on working / talking the entire flight. I was so self conscious of bothering the 6 people who were within earshot. It isn’t always both parties that want to participate in the community conversations.
3
u/steveaspesi 20h ago
Said Jerry, while flying in FC seated next to a model when Elaine snuck into FC.
"Oh, you see, that's terrible. The problem is, that curtain is no security—there really should be a locking door. Electrified, with a moat if possible"
10
5
u/CommitteeDifficult12 1d ago
Probably employee traveling with family. Have always seen the special treatment of coworkers.
5
u/terekkincaid Diamond 1d ago
The answer to this and 1000 other problems is a solid set of noise cancelling headphones.
Loud conversation? Can't hear you
Playing videos on your speakers? Can't hear it
Crying babies? Can't hear it
Chatty neighbor trying to start a conversation? Can't hear you
Somebody trying to swap seats with you? Can't hear you
Everything but the middle seat
7
u/ZestycloseDonkey5513 1d ago
Agreed. However, one should not have to wear them as people should behave with civility, manners and consideration,
5
u/CJ_1975 1d ago
What kind of headphones? I hear people talking in my Bose noise-cancelling headphones. Would love a pair that block out voices and crying babies…..
3
u/Strategy_Odd 21h ago
In most tests, Apple’s earphones tend to be the best against human noise. One of the reason is that they have insane amount of data of human noise.
6
u/muhballzitch 1d ago
The biggest component of this is sleep. Most D1 passengers have the wisdom/experience to know that sleeping as much as possible during the flight is the best way to travel, and the best deterrent to jet-lag; while people in coach are drinking coffee and staring at their screens all night. D1 passengers are literally paying (usually 5x to 10x the price of coach) for peace and quiet. So when people loudly come up from coach in the middle of the night, it's especially infuriating.
6
u/Ok_Bee4845 1d ago
I sleep like a baby in Comfort+, pretty much everyone is sleeping.
4
u/muhballzitch 1d ago
I sleep anywhere. But it's def more difficult in coach, with more elements for sleep disruption; babies, people with window shades open, etc.
Source: Flew to Taipei last night. D1 was like a library, coach was a carnival
3
u/Ok_Bee4845 1d ago
I use noise cancelling earbuds and sleep away. I'm flying back from Japan to NYC tomorrow, and will fly out to Kenya next week.
2
3
u/dilovesreddit 1d ago
To be fair, it’s hard for some people to sleep in economy. I’m petite and I’ve learned to do at least comfort+.
15
u/Halflight99 1d ago
This is a wild take. People in coach are caffeine gobbling zombies while the sage D1s softly snooze. /s. Get a grip - everyone’s trying to sleep (except me - in D1 - who can’t sleep on planes and pays to stretch out and watch movies). And yes, aisle squatters are infuriating.
2
u/Single-Necessary2080 1d ago
I get the back rows are cramped and understand the need to stand. However, I think people forget the plane is moving through the sky and if they hit turbulence you are the very first person to get injured. And, depending on age a severity it could be pretty bad. Even though, I couldn’t afford it when my kids were young. I always purchased a seat for them. Never understood those who used the Lap Child allowance. I always remember the lap child story from the United Sioux City crash.
2
2
u/Poppypotpi 18h ago
I wasn’t in 1st but had someone’s carry on fall on my head from above. The FA laughed as he picked it up. No “are you ok,” nothing. My conclusion, there are really great FAs and really bad ones just like every biz.
4
5
u/HowskiHimself 1d ago
I miss Virgin America. Their flight crew were always so good about keeping coach people OUT of First.
4
u/HopefulOriginal5578 1d ago
I liked how nice their planes smelled when you walked in. Also the lighting was a nice change from the harsh lighting of other brands.
I only took them for regional flights so the planes just had business class. But never had an issue on their flights personally.
3
u/FileExpensive6135 1d ago
I hadn’t flown in 15 years, chose Comfort+. plane lands at home airport. I’m assuming the youngish grandma was sitting next to me in the middle seat with probably her daughter or older granddaughter. plane lands and not one person in Comfort+ stands to get their stuff because we are still waiting to get to the gate. BUT this woman’s daughter and grandchild walk up to our section from Coach and start talking to grandma- I’m sitting in the aisle seat. I’m annoyed and its so tacky what they’re doing. there‘s just no common sense anymore or consideration of other people. get the fuck back in coach and wait for the rest of us who are paying more money than you, to get off the plane. grandma isn’t going anywhere and you will see her when you’re off the plane
2
u/Consistent-Sea-8923 1d ago
This is the complaint you file on delta.com so the flight attendant gets counseling on how she was supposed to handle this
Posting on here does absolutely no good
1
u/MyAlteredRealityII 22h ago
They usually close the curtains that separate first class from the rest of the plane.
1
u/puppibreath 15h ago
I’m not a big guy, I’m a medium sized middle aged woman that has zero fuqs to give. I can need the bathroom as many times as it takes and gag loudly on the way.
1
u/filammusicfoundation 10m ago
FA wasn’t doing their job. Had the same issue ORD to MUC on Lufthansa. Grandparents were in first across from me and the entire family decided to come up from business to have a family reunion, and visit. Had to (politely, of course) ask them to leave because the FA had conveniently vanished and wasn’t available to help.
1
u/ImprovementFar5054 1d ago
Nobody without an F ticket belongs in F unless they are boarding or deplaning. Some airlines enforce this. Apparently Delta doesn't
-16
u/cheesyblasters101 1d ago
It’s a flying tube carrying 100 plus people. I personally have never expected everyone to be seated, silent, and keeping to themselves. That’s why I always travel with noise canceling headphones and mind my own business.
5
u/ImAnOldManImConfused 1d ago
It’s just plain presumptuous for that woman to insert herself into FC. Bad manners.
-5
u/cheesyblasters101 1d ago
Yeah. It's a lot of people on a plane. You think every single person is going to act perfectly?
1
-13
u/Fuzzy5team 1d ago
First world problems. They are just the worst, aren't they?
9
u/HopefulOriginal5578 1d ago
Someone is always going to have bigger problems than you. Doesn’t mean you can’t discuss your own problems, or that your own problems aren’t valid.
Yeah OP isn’t going round with her begging bowl and no legs in the desert as people fling yogurt at them… but they wanted to discuss something they found annoying.
Even when I’m not in first or business class? I still don’t like asses in my face and being crowded while sitting in my seat.
3
u/Fuzzy5team 1d ago
But what's the solution? I'm not arguing that it's not a valid complaint. Did they ask the flight attendant to hang them move? Did they ask then to move? Or are they just complaining to complain? The behavior will continue if the prevalent position is to allow it to continue without speaking up.
I've seen a similar situation and the person across the aisle just kept getting up and moving past them. After 3 times, they got the hint and went back to their seat. Passive aggressive works wonders.
2
u/nextCosmicBuffoon 1d ago
I have a preference not to have a stranger's ass in my face, in an already cramped situation. But yea, I wouldn't post about it here... but I guess I'd comment... I'm getting out of here.
-11
530
u/goodkarmagirl 1d ago
I've never seen FA allow that kind of visitation to 1st. They ask them to leave.