sheila-toulouse

My french colleagues like to question me on all things 'american' that they find curious. Recently they asked my why Americans applaud when the plane lands. A few of them had witnessed this and were confused. I've seen it a few times, but not necessarily after an especially impressive landing. So, can anyone answer this? Does it happen only in certain regions (they saw it in the midwest on regional carriers (nw airlink). Does it happen in other countries? And WHY do people do it?

Thanks!

Sheila

Smog

I've seen people applaud after especially rough landings. I think it's a way of relieving tension.

The DC-10 was another story. People would applaud when the plane reached cruising altitude and then again when it landed.

jimbo99

A bow and return for a clap used to be standard on EVA air (the Taiwanese airline) whilst taxiing to the gate. It was discontinued a while back - apparently because it interfered with the crew's preparation for disembarkation. My theory is that they (the airline, not the crew) just felt to arrogant to continue with the practice.

Is it really universal on US airlines? Hasn't been when I've flown with them.

twdeason

It was something that was done when returning to the US. Particularly with the military, after living abroad you're happy to be home.

haniboo

the first tiime i saw it was on flying ELAL. i think it was more standard on LY years ago and less so these days. I rarely hear it on American flagged a/c, unless it was a bumpy raining landing.

htb

My impression, living in Europe, is, that it was something frequently observed on holiday flights, and not so much on scheduled flights with mostly business people. I believe the practice has become less prevalent over the years.

HTB.

rar indeed

I've only encountered this once. MCO-SJU on NK. After having to fix a vibrating panel with part of a magazine I was certainly glad to get off of that coffin.

schwarm

American thing?

I don't seem to remember much clapping on flights in the US. Flights to Latin America, on the other hand, generally end with a round of applause.

Boddingtons

I've noticed the Spanish doing this, so may tie in the the Latin American theme

dcpatti

I've seen/participated in the applause many times but all were stressful or emotional flights:

-Landing in Chicago after the most turbulent flight I have ever been on, with a measly 8 passengers in an ERJ 170; it was an early morning flight and the FA's stayed strapped into the jump seats for the duration. Really the only time I have ever thought we would actually die. One of those with the sudden 2000-foot drops... over and over again... light PAX weight made that plane bounce around seriously.

-Pilot seriously overcooked the landing on the southern approach at DCA; anyone who'd ever landed there more than once or twice before knew he was going in too high, too fast and since it was not a windy day, no real reason for it. It was a real "The batchute, Robin!" kind of landing and not pretty at all; PAX burst into applause when the plane finally stopped and the FA's announced to take extra care when opening overhead bins "because after a landing like THAT, everything's shifted."

-The first 3 weeks or so that DCA was open again after 9/11. Remember that was the last major airport to reopen. I flew a lot in those first few weeks and people applauded after every single landing. Not sure if they were being extra patriotic, or just thrilled to NOT have to drag their arses out to IAD any more?

-The first 2 months or so that MSY was reopened post-Katrina there was applause on every flight that I was on, and even now there's the occasional fit of appreciation for the city slowly limping back to life

rabbitman

Still happens quite a lot on LY, and even more on charters from London to TLV....

xj47

I took a lot of different airlines to a lot of different international destinations in my youth and I know I've encountered it a few times. Trying to remember where. LY to TLV sounds right. I think I may have encountered it coming into Rome, Auckland or SYD.

Again, not sure of the airlines but I enjoy the practice and certainly will partake should it happen in the future.

blahman

There was applaud upon landing from SFO-SYD, probably because it was a 14 hr flight and it was X'mas Day in Australia. An American couple across the aisle, who were on their first visit to Australia, said "Wow, this is the first time I've heard that."

ColumbiaPete

I've never seen this in the USA. I USED to see it years ago on Aer Lingus flights to Ireland. The Irish would start to applaud as the plane landed. But I think that was somewhat of a different time, when Irish immigrants could rarely afford to go back to Ireland for a visit and it was a "bigger deal" to do so.

Rejuvenated

I've heard plenty of them on WN flights.