This happens every time I fly into Italy on Ryanair. They play that stupid bugle sound telling you the plane has landed early (has it fuck, they just add ten minutes on to the expected journey length) then all the Italians burst into applause.
Think about it. This is about the most amazing thing an Italian will ever hear (since Mussolini was in power anyway). Something happening on time is up there with the 2nd coming to them.
Were you on my flight, because I usually start it.
I’m glad I have only flown Alitalia to Italy. I have, however, flown Ryanair to and/or from Germany, France and Britain. No applause.
American, who’s flown (almost) exclusively domestic flights: I think I’ve seen this just once, when there was lots of weather and we were stuck in a holding pattern for an hour. Of course, I’m always flying into or out of New York, and it takes more than landing a plane to elicit an emotional response from us.
People are clapping for the pilots? I just assumed clapping on landing was just spontaneous joy at still being alive. (I don’t think I’ve ever heard it, but I’ve only flown four times, and they were all a fairly long time ago.)
Why don’t you make like his son and disappear? Wise-ass
One one local airline, passengers make single claps at random in the air and also against the seats throughout the flight due to the fly and flee problem.
I’m glad I’m not the only person annoyed by this, although it’s only one of the many minor irritants related to air travel. Together, they have the cumulative effect of ensuring I arrive at my destination having imagined a separate grisly death for each one of my co-passengers.
I’ve flown a bit domestically and between France and Belgium and I’ve never heard any clapping. I think I’ll clap next time I’m on a plane and see if anyone else joins in. Sorry for all of you who hate it but I’ll be getting amusement from it if I ever experience it.
It’s the same logic as clapping at the end of the movie. It’s not like all those who made the movie will be able to hear the clapping from thousands of miles away.
That said, when I took my brother to court we had to sit and wait an hour hearing others’ sentencing while waiting for his. I had to fight the urge to clap at the end of each one. I think I’ve been watching too many court shows on TV.
It’s better than clapping at a movie. At least in this case, the actor has a reasonable chance being informed of your clapping.
ETA: What’s the opposite of clapping? Because I’m doing that in nikonikosuru’s general direction.
It is an eastern Europe thing. You wouldn’t understand.
I’m guessing there is probably a lot outside your hometown you don’t understand.
It’s probably a way of relieving stress - God knows I’m a bundle of nerves at the end of a flight.
Uhmm, farting?
I’ve flown a lot and I’d guess about half those domestic flights ended in clapping. I usually participate as it’s a harmless, part-of-the-crowd-for-a-few-seconds practice, kind of like doing the Wave at a sporting event (do they still do that?).
As it’s sort of a physical and auditory meme, I’m surprised that so many here who repeatedly participate in 'net memes are bothered by it.
Okay, I was being a wise-ass by phrasing it that way, but it’s worth noting that I looked it up first myself (in an attempt to evade Gaudere’s Law). I just now ran a Google search for “Charles Lindburg Aviator” and got the correction (“Did you mean Charles Lindbergh Aviator?”) in 0.30 seconds.
That’s three-tenths of a second you’ve saved by posting an error on a message board dedicated to fighting error. I hope it was well-used.
I think that does have a lot to do with it, because it’s more likely to happen if:
(1) there have been delays or turbulence on the flight;
(2) the passengers are people who don’t fly very often; or
(3) it’s an airline (like a Russian one) that has a poor safety record.
It doesn’t annoy me: I’m just as happy as anyone else to get to the end of the flight, that I probably won’t join in the applause.
That has been my experience as well, on both domestic and international flights–clapping only after weather-impeded flights where it felt like we were all going to die. I’m shocked to hear people bragging of being serial, routine flight clappers.
I’ve never ever seen airline passengers clap on landing, and I’ve flown into 34 countries (and out of just as many).
Actually, I take that back. One time I was taking a connecting flight to Newark, and the in-flight movie was Biodome with Pauly Shore. The in-flight entertainment system crapped out midway through. Even the stewardesses applauded.
Are they replacing it with the one where they pull the pilot’s chair loose from its moorings and carry him down the aisle of the plane for a victory lap?