# Why are you idiots clapping when the plane lands? (mild) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975 "2010-10-13T09:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/41 "2010-10-13T14:31:53Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Puerto Ricans piss me off as well. At least they appreciate the small things though. That’s where I experienced the clapping thing, on a flight from Puerto Rico to New York. There was a lot of turbulence so people were making roller coaster noises too and the clapping seemed to be relief that we’d landed. What really pissed me off was watching the sunset off Key West. Sun goes down, everyone claps - WTF? ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/42 "2010-10-13T14:33:22Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > I get this all the time on flights into and out of Russia. In Soviet Russia, planes clap YOU! ---
**Author:** ![Av8trix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@Av8trix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Av8trix)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/43 "2010-10-13T14:58:14Z")
I’m a pilot. I’ve heard it once- after a very rough flight with a bad line of thunderstorms we could neither fly around (not enough fuel), climb over, or safely fly through. We had already decided to divert to an alternate destination, and the passengers had been notified. A hole opened up in the line of weather, and we decided to go for it. After landing at the original intended destination, the passengers broke out into applause. It may be a strange, seemingly pointless tradition, but I know the whole crew had been working very hard that flight, and we all appreciated it. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/44 "2010-10-13T15:06:25Z")
Wow, life must be awfully irritating if you are constantly annoyed by people’s minor expressions of joy. The clapping lasts how long? Maybe 10 seconds? You really can’t suck it up and say “Hey, I don’t feel like clapping, but these people over here seem to feel like clapping and in fact look pretty happy about it, good for them.” You get this in a lot of places, particularly among people who are used to flying on less-than-reliable airlines. It’ s just a little social ritual saying “Yay! I’m in one piece, this flight is over, and now it’s time to start my journey/return home.” One of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen was at the Douala airport in Cameroon. People were gathered on the roof to see the one or two flight of the night take off. When they did, everyone on the roof clapped in delight and probably hope for what the outside world had to bring their loved ones on the plane. ---
**Author:** ![carm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@carm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carm)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/45 "2010-10-13T15:11:58Z")
Flights to Ireland, if full of Irish people, will nearly always have a round of applause and some cheering when the plane lands. “We’re Irish and and we’re glad to be home” is the way I always understood it; nothing to do with the pilot. I like it, for a few seconds everyone is in good spirits (except the moany fuckers posting here), and it’s a nice bit of relief after what has usually been a horrible journey. Seriously, if THIS is the thing that you hate about air travel (instead of delays, unnavigable airports, long queues, lost luggage, lost friends, more delays, Ryanair’s hidden charges, cramped seats, fat people, crying infants, trying to sleep on airport seats between transfers, plane food, missing transfers, and the smell of airplane toilets after someone pisses all over the floor twenty minutes into an eight hour flight), then fuck off back to the boat. You depressing moaning festering-in-own-misery cuntfucks. ---
**Author:** ![Redpill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Redpill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redpill)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/46 "2010-10-13T15:48:42Z")
Completely normal, I even clap and hi-five myself when I pull into a parking spot. ( and the wave if I have passengers ) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/47 "2010-10-13T15:53:07Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > One of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen was at the Douala airport in Cameroon. People were gathered on the roof to see the one or two flight of the night take off. When they did, everyone on the roof clapped in delight and probably hope for what the outside world had to bring their loved ones on the plane. I can only imagine the rooftop jubilation at seeing your plane leave. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/48 "2010-10-13T15:56:15Z")
The only time I can recall clapping at the end of a flight was on a plane that made a landing in bad weather, banging in hard enough to spring open the overhead luggage rack doors. No oversized bags fell and knocked anyone unconscious, and we were relieved enough to be on the ground that applause broke out. Unexpected spontaneous applause can be fun. Once before a Cincinnati Reds game I attended, owner Marge Schott’s dog (Schottzie II?) was wandering around the infield as the managers were passing lineup cards to the umps. The beast took a giant St. Bernard-sized dump behind home plate. I and numerous other fans applauded this achievement (Mrs. J. was a bit embarassed). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/49 "2010-10-13T16:04:39Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > What really pissed me off was watching the sunset off Key West. Sun goes down, everyone claps - WTF? Well done sun! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/50 "2010-10-13T16:04:49Z")
My father - a German - used to travel into the Middle East a lot on business many years ago, mostly to Saudi Arabia. He always liked telling the story about the announcement before one flight: “Attention passengers, we will be departing soon, our scheduled arrival time is blahblah, and some more blahblah about safety. We hope you have a safe and pleasant flight, but if we crash, may Allah be with you.” _click_ He, as a European, found this strangely non-comforting for some reason! Made for a good story, though, as they did land safely, and most likely applauded the accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/51 "2010-10-13T16:09:26Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Did you think not turning the plane into a fireball and crashing into a mountain was a special treat? It kinda is. I’m sure if this happened (and you somehow survived it) you’d be bitching all over the place. Learn some gratitude, asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/52 "2010-10-13T16:24:22Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > This used to be customary on El Al flights as well. > > Thankfully, Israelis seem to be gradually losing this habit… Aw, I liked it. I even liked how they would play “Hallelujah” (Eurovision, not Cohen) when they landed at Ben-Gurion. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/53 "2010-10-13T16:27:13Z")
I think it’s kinda nice when people do it but Ryan Air have this obnoxious recording of clapping and cheering when their flights land early or on time. FWIW I’ve noticed it mostly on a flight to Italy have experienced it on other European flights, never in the US. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/54 "2010-10-13T16:36:59Z")
I don’t think i’ve ever been on plane where the passengers applauded the landing. It does strike me as a rather silly thing to do. Hell, if you want to acknowledge getting through a risky part of the flight, the landing’s the wrong thing to applaud anyway. Landing is, except in extremely windy or stormy conditions, generally a relatively easy and incredibly safe procedure. The most dangerous part of any flight is generally the latter part of the takeoff, and the first half-minute or so after the plane leaves the ground. That’s the time where, if something big goes wrong like a loss of thrust, the pilots have almost no time or opportunity to catch it and make a correction before either barreling off the end of the runway, or dropping into the surrounding neighborhoods. If Sully’s plane had sucked in those geese at 800 feet instead of 3,200, there’s a decent chance that all 155 passengers and crew, and possibly a good-sized handful of New Yorkers, would be dead. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/55 "2010-10-13T17:12:34Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I don’t think i’ve ever been on plane where the passengers applauded the landing. It does strike me as a rather silly thing to do. > > Hell, if you want to acknowledge getting through a risky part of the flight, the landing’s the wrong thing to applaud anyway. Landing is, except in extremely windy or stormy conditions, generally a relatively easy and incredibly safe procedure. Except that once you’ve landed pretty much all other risks (real and imagined) are gone, they’re acknowledging (to their minds) the end of _any_ risk. What is the likelihood of the plane crashing once it has landed and is taxiing to a gate? I’m sure accidents do happen on the ground but they’re presumably much less likely to end in fiery death. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/56 "2010-10-13T17:19:06Z")
I’d never seen this until the last few months, catching a few flights around Central Asia and Turkey. I’d initially thought it must have been a Russian/Ex-Soviet thing, but then seeing it on a flight in Turkey and seeing it mentioned here I guess it’s more common than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/57 "2010-10-13T17:23:31Z")
I agree with this rant. Stupid clapping outbreaks are sort of a pet peeve of mine, which I luckily encounter very infrequently. At the moment, I can only think of clapping at the end of a movie and the State of the Union Address as examples. I’ve never encountered plane clapping, but the very thought makes me shiver. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/58 "2010-10-13T18:00:38Z")
The first and only\* time I recall experiencing a round of applause at landing was back when I was a teenager. (Therefore, it would have been some time in the 1970s.) The flight took place a short time after a notable crash of the same model of aircraft (it could even have been the same airline.) The recent crash was still weighing on everyone’s mind, I think, so there was a even more relief at landing than usual. It was also one of the smoothest landings I’ve ever experienced, with barely a bump at touch down. This was a US domestic flight. \*I may have been on a flight in subsequent years where there was applause, but I don’t remember it, because it isn’t the sort of thing that would phase me one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/59 "2010-10-13T19:29:02Z")
I have experienced the whole plane clap on landing. It was Balkan Air, 1996, and it was an extremely rough landing which felt… a bit amateur? There was lots of sudden drops and pop-ups, side slipping, tipping the wings and other uneven flight on the way down. When that ground is rushing up at you and you can clearly see you aren’t level… you’re damn glad its not the last thing you see. I wouldn’t call the clapping a compliment to the pilot. It was more like “we’re not dead! You didn’t kill us! Thank god its over!” sort of clapping. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975/60 "2010-10-13T19:44:44Z")
> [@Jim Butcher](#): > > Sometimes the most remarkable things seem commonplace. I mean, when you think about it, jet travel is pretty freaking remarkable. You get in a plane, it defies the gravity of an entire planet by exploiting a loophole with air pressure, and it flies across distances that would take months or years to cross by any means of travel that has been significant for more than a century or three. You hurtle above the earth at enough speed to kill you instantly should you bump into something, and you can only breathe because someone built you a really good tin can that has seams tight enough to hold in a decent amount of air. Hundreds of millions of man-hours of work and struggle and research, blood, sweat, tears, and lives have gone into the history of air travel, and it has totally revolutionized the face of our planet and societies. > But get on any flight in the country, and I absolutely promise you that you will find someone who, in the face of all that incredible achievement, will be willing to complain about the drinks. > The _drinks_, people. That said, I’d find it unusual at the very least, simply because it’s not customary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-idiots-clapping-when-the-plane-lands-mild/556975.md?page=4)