Clapping after landing?
 

I've always wondered if there's any people out there who clap when the plane lands safetly. I've had this happen once, when we landed in IST on LH, but the flight wasn't bumpy or anything, and I would know as i was sitting in the second last row. It sounds like this is traditional of many europeans, is it basically just saying thanx for a safe flight or something?

Whenever i've been on a charter flight (Transat, 3000, etc), there was clapping upon landing at the destination.

Heck, on C3 one time, going from YUL-YYZ we had a singalong in the back of the plane waiting for a delay (it was post long weekend hangover singing, so i'm sure it sounded awful).

It's just a European tourist thing. Common on either charters or flights on which a significant fraction of the folks are tourist groups.

only when the turbulence and weather conditions outside puts the fear of god into you...

Sure, all charter passengers clap when they land. Everyone is overjoyed they only have to endure a few more minutes of their knees touching their chins. :D

Philippine Airlines, everytime on at least I'll guess 10 transpac flights, and one time it was well-deserved the way we did a sharp hard turn just before landing (on a 747 jumbo).

Westjet Flights
 

On many Westjet flights, the flight attendants sometimes make corny jokes and say things like, "that was our pilot's first landing; let's give him a round of applause" to which many of the patrons DO give a round of applause. I personally don't get it but...

Witnessed clapping a few times on AC's CUN-YYZ run back in the mid 90s when drinks were free and everyone got drunk on the trip home

Pillowfights too ^

I wouldn't put it down to a European thing (I've never heard it, albeit I've not been on a European - or any, for that matter - charter) as much as it is a fairly good indicator of the number of infrequent flyers on the plane.

When I was 13 (over 20 years ago...) my father and took a trip from Mirabel in Montreal to JFK on Czech Airlines (they must have stopped over in Mirabel on their way to New York, and the fares on the last leg must have been very cheap).

Europeans and Canadians alike clapped loudly on landing..funny how a post can spark a long lost memory.

Otherwise, we clapped in Jan, 2004 on AC from LHR to YOW when pilot landed safely after he had aborted landing due to wind shear seconds before touchdown the first time (I saw the lines on the runway and all...it was that close before he pulled up for a second try).

US thing ?
 

i've always found this clapping thing to be common in the US ..

Honestly, I've only ever seen Italians clapping. I was on a LO BRU-WAW flight and no one else clapped but the Italian EU delegation.

Infrequent flyers. It used to be much more common about 10/20 years ago, not sure it's specific to a region.

You might be right...

But, I guess it is a common EU stereotype that Italians are the only ones that clap upon landing...

I find this is a cultural thing. I have had it happen many times on flight into South America. When CP used to fly to EZE via Sao Paulo, lots of tour groups would board in Brazil to go to Buenos Aires, or vice versa. Once the plane had landed, clapping always broke out.

The only other times this has happened up in this part of the world was, as others have noted, when we've been through a patch of particularly turbulent weather [horrid flight through lightning storms on a CP 737 between YUL and YYZ] or had a similar harrowing incident [aborted landing at LGA].