Maybe so much show is not necessary, right?
You are about to reach your destination; the plane descends little by little, some cross , others are rightly concerned - after all, 48% of all the fatal accidents aviation take place in this phase - and, once the wheels hit the ground, the revelry on board to a vibrant round of applause.
What happened? why that explosion of happiness ? Is it true the myth that we are the Spanish people the ones we applaud the most on airplanes? We asked Adrián Ambrosio, responsible for the blog aviator and pilot : “In airplanes there is no applause meter that allows us to measure the amount of applause, but I would dare to say that there are a series of variables that lead to applause on landing ”, he explains to us.
Thus, he distinguishes between flights with turbulence or bad weather -"they can be complicated and generate a strain among the passengers that is released at the time of landing”, he says, those who bring together groups of friends traveling together -"the atmosphere is more relaxed, people enjoy the flight and celebrate the landing amid applause, jokes and others"- and the flights of "certain companies that, when landing, reproduce some audio that almost incite applause, ”he sums up.
The first is a case that Raissa, Spanish by adoption, knows very well. “Every time I go to Brazil, there is applause when I arrive. After the brownie to cross the Atlantic with hours of turbulence, it's the least we can do! ”, she exclaims laughing.
Miguel Ángel, who has lived for long periods abroad, wonders: “Have I ever heard people comment the precision and smoothness of landings , and my head has linked the applause with a good landing, but I don't know what percentage does it because of that or just because be alive . If it's for surviving, we should applaud at the zebra crossings or when we finish cooking: we risk it much more”.
When a group of friends travels, the atmosphere is more relaxed
But let's return the witness to Ambrosio, who is the one who knows the most about this: "In any case -he continues- applause is always a reaction spontaneous of the people, no matter origin of people; is more closely related to stress release because of the tension that, in general, we have naturally when we get on a plane and experience something that is new and unknown”.
However, is it really a spontaneous reaction? What about the ' instigators ' of applause? Clapping on a plane is such a rancid that has always made me very funny, not only because of the applause itself, but because of how easy it is to start it: they are only necessary three or four claps for the rest of the public to get carried away and join the celebration , relieved to survive one more flight”, explains Fran, a traveler in his thirties, to Traveler.es.
“It is a celebration that begins and ends there, in that shared intimacy with strangers. That's why I'm trying to do it forever , to preserve it for generations to come And, by the way, have a laugh. Overall, it doesn't hurt anyone either, ”he says.
That thing about not hurting anyone, however, is not so clear: "I never I applaud on a plane. produces me embarrassment level physical pain ”, explains Naiara, a Bilbao journalist. “I have only come across it when you leave or enter Spain (and low cost, nobody applauds on a Lufthansa plane). I haven't seen it anywhere else. Ridiculous beyond measure. Among my friends we use 'that one has the face of clapping on airplanes' when someone doesn't seem to be very savvy. Also, why only on planes? Already put, that the winners applaud in trains, buses, subway, tram... every time they reach their destination. Is that the rest of the means of transport aren't they important?” she wonders. Meritxell, travel journalist, is of the same opinion: “ Do we applaud the taxi driver or the bus driver? Another thing is that he would have landed looping…”
Carmela, who is dedicated to politics, considers that the one who suffers with all this applause issue is precisely who does not carry it out: “The problem we have is those of us who we had a bad time with which others applaud. What lies behind the shame is a kind of 'they shouldn't applaud', which makes us more intolerant automatically. That said, I do not applaud, but whoever wants to applaud: I am not the center of the universe.
Clapping we release stress
WHY IS THE PILOT APPLAUDED AND NOT EVERYONE WHO DOES THEIR JOB WELL?
Marta, who recently arrived from spending a few months in the United States, wonders, like Naiara, why the pilots are applauded... and not the rest of the professionals: “I have never understood the applause thing very well, really. It's not a thing that bothers me, but I don't. Why do people clap? Why is she still alive? Or are they clapping because someone has done their job well ? Do I deserve applause every time I make a coffee well? ”, She reflects. Pam, a writer, adds: “I never do. To me, for doing my job, no one applauds me ”, while Cristina, an actress, is of the opposite opinion: "I have panic planes , and although I'm embarrassed to applaud, when people do it, I appreciate being alive . I think it's great that the pilot deserves a round of applause: more applause in more professions instead of less!"
Alejandro, a Malaga resident in Germany, delves into the issue of companies: “ I only see the point of clapping with the low cost. Not so much for the irrational satisfaction of "we are alive" as for having arrived on time (although, if it is late, the applause is even louder) and without having been diverted to any other destination (although, if that is the case, the applause is applauded). destiny-surprise )”, he explains. “When I understood that not clapping is an act of arrogance That's when I stopped doing it. However, since no one does it at Lufthansa, I do applaud there. The protocol error it makes me feel special.”
APPLAUD: AN ERROR OF PROTOCOL?
Does the act of clapping really constitute a protocol error? “More than a protocol issue, we consider that it is about courtesy ”, they inform us from the School of Protocol of Granada . “For our part, we consider not only correct, but appropriate applause from passengers for the crew and cabin crew of an airplane; Although it is a practice that has fallen into disuse, many pilots and cabin crew recognize that it is something that They like it ”.
Why do we only applaud the pilots?
Ambrosio himself is one of those professionals who recognize that it is pleasant to listen to him, despite the fact that he admits that he can rarely hear it due to the impassable cabin doors -which must always be closed since 9/11-, to which is added the noise of the engines. “Sometimes we do hear something, or the stewardesses tell us about it after disembarking the plane. Personally, I've heard it on a few occasions, and it doesn't bother me at all; In fact, there are times I would like to go out and say hello but the time we spend on land is very limited and the tasks prevent us from going out to say goodbye to the passage in most cases. I believe that give naturalness to the figure of the pilot , to our profession, in general, is good. That is why communication with passengers is important, that they hear our voice, that they know what we are doing, etc”, reflects the pilot.
That, thanking those who fly the plane for their work, is precisely what Omar, cartoonist, would like to do: “I am more than thank you personally for the trip . I do it even in the bus . But of course, on a plane it is difficult to tell the pilot, ”he says. However, if we have the opportunity, it is worth doing: "In my opinion, beyond the applause, thank the crew cabin when leaving or saying a thank you comment is also very positive: it encourages us and makes our day happy ”, concludes the aviator.