Originally Posted by davie355

Context: arrival at JFK. Standing in the aisle to deplane, I waited for the passenger in the row ahead to get out of his seat. He appeared to be dilly-dallying, so to avoid delaying myself and other passengers, I stopped waiting for him. I proceeded to exit the aircraft. Inexplicably, he took offense to this. He threw up his hands and yelled "Seriously??"

I exited the aircraft and jet bridge. In the terminal, the same passenger ran up and started to berate me: "Why are you in such a hurry?" etc.

I continued to walk without looking at him or responding, and he simply walked away in another direction.

--

The story above is secondhand. I have no further details. I found two parts incredulous:

• Sure, planes deboard front to back, but if you're not ready to exit your seat, shouldn't you allow passengers behind you to exit without taking offense as if they cut you in line?
• How does the "why are you in a hurry?" question make sense in an airport? in a big city known for its frantic pace?

And, for discussion:

• What is the best way to deal with verbal harassment in the terminal? Ignore, or find airport police?
  • What if this happened on an international arrival, and the harassment occurred while walking to the immigration facility? Would you say anything to a customs or immigration officer?