Woman Publicly Shames Seatmate After Seeing How They Stored Their Backpack On The Flight: ‘Can We Normalize Following The Rules’

It’s easy to make fun of the rule followers in our midst, but there are times when they really, truly exist for a reason. As does the concept of public shaming.

When Rachel (@viviendoconrae) boarded a flight recently, she was confronted an infuriating variety of passengers. The ones who board early enough to stash both their bags. With no flight attendant seemingly in sight, Rachel took matters into her own hands. These days, that generally means a scolding in the public square. Digital version.

Storage Showdown On A Full Flight

The TikTok that Rachel posted looks utterly innocuous until you realize the context. In this instance, it’s that she’s on a totally full flight, and someone (unnamed in the video) has stowed both their carry-on and personal item in the overhead bins.

As the video, which has been viewed over 227,400 times, starts, it’s just a view of an overhead bin. In it are three pieces of luggage and a backpack. “Both items belong to the same person in a full flight, BTW,” reads the on-screen text. So someone is clearly angling for a little extra leg room. While that’s arguably reasonable given leg clearance on flights these days, it’s still unacceptable behavior.

And Rachel calls it out, captioning the video: “Can we normalize following the rules to allow everyone else on the flight to fly with their items too?” Then there’s the kicker: She just wants him to position his bags properly. “Like flip the luggage sideways and put your book bag underneath the seat in front of you,” she says.

Later, in the comments, she fleshes out the story. The guy didn’t need any sort of special accommodations or help. Nevertheless, a flight attendant came along and “had to come and flip his suitcase and bring his backpack down and work extra.”

“One Carry-on Per Person”

Almost everyone in the comments co-signs the luggage rules. Though one redirected the vitriol at airlines who make these petty disagreements necessary. “You should be angry at airlines for s_____ solutions and not passengers, why accept this and bicker amongst ourselves?” asked amps_shmamps.

Moe people were just mad at the entitled passenger. “I don’t care if it’s a backpack, why do people assume they get more space for more bags? I pay for my space like everyone else, you’re not moving my shit because you feel entitled to more,” wrote thejustinelarimer.

rogerdevora chimed in, “Why is everyone missing the point? Overhead suitcase OR backpack is OK. Overhead suitcase AND backpack (normally) NOT OK.”

Why Are People Rude On Flights?

It’s possible that air travel often bring out the worst in people because there’s so little room for error. Arrive too late and the cabin door is closed. Pack too much and you’re subject to an overweight fee. Fly in a bulky coat, and get stuck stuffing it under the seat in front of you. And those are just the things you have control over.  Add in the general frenzy of arriving to the airport, trying to get through security with a modicum of dignity and speed, and weather delays, it becomes a recipe to incite bad, or at least inconsiderate, behavior.

Then come the cultural or regional differences, says Nick Leighton, co-host of the podcast Were You Raised By Wolves. “We’re all operating from slightly different etiquette playbooks, and we all have slightly different ideas about personal space, volume, and what’s acceptable and not acceptable. Combine that with people being sleep-deprived, hungry, cranky, and stressed out, and it’s a recipe for disaster.”

Consequently, the question becomes: how to stay cool when encountering a rude traveler? Several linguistic tricks can help smooth over anything that gets ruffled. Because in general, people aren’t trying to be rude or antagonistic, they’re just focused on getting through a stressful time. If you’re making a request—whether to turn down the volume on a video, or adjusting baggage—begin with an apology: “I’m so sorry to bother you, but…” You can also phrase frame it as if they’re accommodating you: “Can I ask for a small favor?” Finally, if someone is being rude, ask them to repeat what they just said. Often repeating something forces them to “hear” it and they’ll adjust the phrasing or drop it altogether.

Ultimately, travel has always been stressful, and that probably won’t change anytime soon. So do your best to prepare: stay hydrated, pack a snack, and make sure your phone is charged. Sometimes the best way to feel better is to feel marginally in control. Even if that just means a stash of granola bars in your carry-on.

BoardingArea reached out to Rachel via TikTok direct message and with a comment on the post. We will update this article if she replies.

@viviendoconrae Can we normalize following the rules to allow everyone else on the flight to fly with their items too? Like flip the luggage sideways and put your book bag underneath the seat in front of you… like it’s hard??! #passengerexperience #flightettiquette #luggage #carryon #traveltok ♬ Boarding Pass – Outer Circle