Why not wait in your seat until it's time to move?

People will do what they want to do. You can't control them and I don't see any point in getting worked up about how other people exit the plane.

Sometimes people need to get off quickly, in order to make a connection, or for other personal reasons. It's not my business to say what they should do, or to try and make them do it "my" way.

If there is room in the aisle ahead, I see nothing wrong with moving forward. On the other hand, I appreciate the courtesy if people behind me allow my row to exit ahead of them.

It is what it is. I find my travel goes more smoothly if I don't get bothered by minor details.

+1

Thought about this thread as I was getting off a train recently. People start collecting their belongings before the train gets into the station and move toward the exits. Definitely a different paradigm on a train as compared to a plane.

Right. Two reasons:

1. Nobody tells you to stay in your seat until the train has stopped at the station. You can get up any time you want.

2. Most station stops are so short that, if you don't have your stuff together when the train pulls in, you're probably out of luck.

I agree that trains are different and not everyone is getting off at a single stop. Trains also usually have a large area near the doors where those hot to get off can stand at the ready with suitcase in hand ready to jump off. Trains also have the benefit of multiple entry/exit doors so there isn't quite as much of a bottleneck like an airplane.

I'm in the aisle seat on row 20, for example. Rows 1 through 18 have mostly cleared out and the aisle up to the door is open. But row 19 aisle seat is standing with his body half-in-half-out of the aisle, collecting his bag and putting his ipod away and checking the seatback pocket for his passport. Any time there is empty space in the aisle leading to the door, time is being wasted for all those in row 20 and higher. That is, if there isn't an uninterrupted flow of pax walking out of that door onto the jetway, inefficiency results. I'm not waiting for row 19; I'm going. Perceived "rudeness" is irrelevant; it's better for everyone if the entire plane is emptied as efficiently as possible. Also, letting the speedy types get as far forward as possible at the seatbelt-sign ding is more likely to maintain the all-important steady flow of feet out that door.
The same principle applies in the highway merge: people feel it's "rude" for cars to zip forward in lane 2 to the merge point when everyone else has arbitrarily decided to line up early in lane 1, when in fact it's clear that such behavior makes traffic move more smoothly for everyone.
Moral of the story: "common sense" is just the set of prejudices we accumulate by age 18, our intuitive sense of rudeness included; adjust yours accordingly based on thinking about what works best for everyone, not just your own hurt feelings.

Ask me about how I feel about holding doors open for people walking behind me! I'm an inhuman monster, I assure you.

This is not what was described in the original post, and I doubt that many people would disagree with you. In the original post, the premise was whether it was ok to pop up as soon as the bell goes off, and try to gain a couple of rows before anyone else has had time to react. In your example, the exit door is open and a significant number of passengers have deplaned, while one guy holds up the remainder. In the original example, passenger Little Bunny Foo Foo is now standing in the aisle several rows ahead, preventing *those* passengers from stepping into the aisle. The door is still not open, so he is only marginally helping himself, and doing it at the (time) expense of the passengers ahead of him. That is pretty obviously rude.

Patently untrue. If everyone merged into the through lane in a timely manner, traffic flow would be unaffected. Unfortunately, the "self-entitled" ones race to the absolute end of lane 2, and then force their way in to a space that they don't fit into. The car they are cutting off brakes to avoid a collision, which slows the car behind, etc. Multiply that by a couple dozen who are convinced that they are better than everyone else, and voila! Instant (unnecessary) traffic jam.

Not that I expect to influence your opinion, but there you have it.

If everyone simply merged at the (shock, horror) merge point then what you describe would not be an issue. The huge drawback of the senseless early merging is the lengthening of the overall queue backwards towards the previous exit. This causes cars whose journeys do not take them through the affected area to get caught up in the lengthening queue, therefore compounding everyone's misery. Not rocket science, yet it's astounding how many drivers don't understand this. It should be part of the driving test (including correct lane usage in general).

Right!

What gets my goat is when people only get up from their seats and take all the time in the world to get their huge carry-on bags while the aisle in front of them is empty all the way to the door.

This is even worse on flights from the Caribbean, where people are in island time.

If someone happens to be standing in the aisle next to his seat, how do you propose that he retrieve his bag without being a jerk?

It is in some countries, like Germany... Still a lot of people don't get it. Even worse in Sweden (where this is also part of driver's education) people get real mad if you do not queue up on the right lane as soon as you see the 'line merging in 5km' sign ;)

Anyway, just had two of those 'ping, rush to the front pax' on my flight and they created a huge mess in the front of the cabin. And they were no connecting pax with a tight connection... And in addition when I walked out the baggage claim area with my carry on they were sneaking around the baggage belt, eager waiting to snack their bags first.

I'm with this. I suspect these are the same people who, on the highway, pass you on the right and then cut you off just so they can get forward one single car in a long line of slowly moving cars. People who put their own selfishness above all those around them rarely get any favors from me.

Those sitting should wait for the people who are in a hurry, who are already standing in the aisle ready to disembark. @:-)

Those charging up the aisle should yield to those in front of them who are attempting to stand up.