Annoying vloggers on flights?
 

Anyone here experienced sitting next to an annoying vlogger on a flight? I was sat next to one and he was chattering way into his camera ... worse then someone on a phone, plus he had a massive LED light attached to this camera shining everywhere. He also stuck a GoPro onto the window, blocked my view of takeoff and landing :(

I've watched some of these vloggers' videos/reviews on youtube.
I've never actually encountered one in person.
It seems if they're doing this pre-flight or in a private, business class seat, it's not an issue.
If they were next to me, I'd be pretty perturbed.
Don't the FAs shut it down?

I would think the GoPro attached to the window would be a safety issue (becomes a flying object in the event of a hard landing or impact).

Which routing? Ugh sorry you had to sit next to one. I’ve yet to experience this!

You can ask them to stop filming. Most airlines have provisions in their CoC that you have to respect others' privacy and not be a general nuisance to the other passengers on the plane.

As for the GoPro, if the passenger has the window seat, he's allowed to film (assuming he's not causing damage to the window) or using a dangerous mount (eg, those cheap ones that are "arms" and aren't balanced). You can raise that with the cabin crew if there is a concern.

I haven't sat beside one, but if they're annoying me, I will ask them to stop and then failing that, ask the cabin crew to intervene. I can understand taking a few photos to "capture the memory", but to constantly annoy your neighbour...

I'd actually like to see a vlogger in action. I have a few flights coming up on a couple of airlines of which I have no familiarity, so I was curious about any recent reviews. I'd like to see how the vloggers position equipment (and what the equipment is) to get some of the camera angles, etc. I'm guessing that these vloggers generally don't have a partner holding a camera.

That said, if a vlogger is in my vicinity and interrupting my rest on a long-haul flight, I am likely to have something to say about it.

Not quite a flight, but back in 2015 there was a vlogger in our gondola on a rope way/cable car in Hakone, Japan.
Usually there is some kind of acknowledgement between people in this kind of cabin, but we clearly didn’t exist. What struck me is that very little else seemed to exist in this guy’s reality either, the self absorption on this beautiful, scenic route was extreme.
What initially struck me was the focus on applying his make up, particularly the eyebrows. They weren’t just styled, they were coiffured. The gondola wasn’t completely steady yet he managed to apply every outline with utmost precision. He was in my line of view of Mt Fuji and we’d travelled early to see it (which had disappeared in the mist by the time we descended) so I was kind of forced into taking in the spectacle of this man “at toilette”.
And then the camera and stick came out and he started his commentary.
I have to say this came as a bit of a relief, a lot of my inner WT F? responses were getting answered. Not that I have a clue what he was saying as he came from another part of Asia.

That was when I decided to never, ever get a selfie stick.

I'm kinda curious as to what other "countermeasures" people have taken to shut down annoying vloggers...

Two (semi-related) thoughts:

1) One of my friends calls "selfie sticks" - a "narcissistick" . (narcissistic - so appropriate!)
2) The first time I visited Hawaii, back in 2017, I visited many of the tourist destinations on Oahu and the Big Island. Time after time, I would see people jump out of their car, dash up to the railing, spin around and take a picture of themselves standing in front of whatever the thing was, and then go back to the car without ever actually *looking* at the thing that they "visited".

Both of those thoughts are exactly my conclusions, and your friend absolutely nailed it with the name of their schtick.

Haven't had to deal with a vlogger on a flight but I'd have no problems asking them to knock it off if they get too annoying (i.e the bright light example above) and get a FA involved if needed. I've used a suction mount a couple times with my GoPro to get video out the window of a take off and landing and I can tell you that the actual GoPro branded suction mount when used properly will not turn into a cabin missile in anything short of a crash and if that happens all bets are off anyways.

FWIW there's a reason I've referred to selfie sticks the "staff of narcissus" for many years now. The only good use for one is to smack the idiots that are waving them around. Thankfully the novelty seems to have worn off quite a bit. That being said I wish I did have the extendable mini-tripod for my GoPro on a previous trip so I could see over the heads of people in a couple places I visited.

Oh heck yes - the little ginger annoyance himself (and I don't mean Prince Harry!). Not sure if I can name names, but I think you can all reasonably guess who it is...
Was on a LHR-MAN flight pre-covid and I was getting ready to take my seat when I noticed somebody was in it. I double checked the overhead numbering and then said to him that he was sat in my seat. His reply was that he needed the window seat and I could go elsewhere - so I popped back forwards and explained the situation to one of the cabin crew who came back and turfed him out - much to his disgust. Took him almost a minute to undo all of his wiring before he shuffled out and moved back one row. He then proceeded to get up into the aisle two or three times to film himself sitting down, kept smacking his table up and down ruddy hard and then tried to shove his go-pro through to my window so I pinged the call button and firmly said I was getting annoyed at the gentleman behind me.

And then, to make matters worse, whilst I am obeying the instructions to stay at home when a global threat is on, the bugger goes and has trips abroad because its his "work"

Unfortunately I don't know who you're talking about (I only know of one or two from "across the pond"... one of them who actually lurks on this board most of the time), but you did the right thing. I hope you also wrote into the airline with feedback. Some of the more reputable ones actually do track these types of issues and if there are enough complaints, these people can be fired as a customer.

ETA: Is he bald?

Well, assuming I am allowed to name names, it was Noel Philips. I did indeed write to BA but what came of it I do not know - if at all.

How he's got away with half the stuff he's tried I will never know. Supposedly an experienced travel blogger and he doesn't know you can not take certain items into the hold of a plane? Moans on planes about the food and then dives straight to the nearest KFC

He seems to be that kind of person and others have mentioned it as well. Personally, I like Paul Lucas although he can go on a bit at times. The problem I find is that many of these people think that because they do this full time, they...

1) Know better than you.
2) Have the right to act like a git off camera.
3) Are doing everyone else a favour by having a live camera for long periods of time...