A surprise announcement from an American Airlines captain regarding social manners has become a sensation online.
Anna Leah Maltezos, a comedy producer and passenger on the flight, posted a video of the announcement on her Instagram on July 26. The video, titled “American Airlines captain has had it with y’all,” has quickly spread across the internet, amassing more than 5.2 million views.
Right from the beginning, the unidentified captain of the Boeing 737 flight emphasizes the importance of treating the cabin crew with kindness and respect.
“Remember, the flight attendants are here for your safety. After that, they’re here to make your flight more enjoyable,” the pilot announced. “They’re going to take care of you guys but you will listen to what they have to say because they represent my will in the cabin.”
He continued, “And my will is what matters.”
Even though the video lasts just a little over a minute, the pilot skillfully addresses several undesirable social behaviors that he observes, ranging from playing videos audibly and improperly stowing baggage to falling asleep and drooling on fellow passengers.
“The social experiment of listening to videos on speaker mode and talking on a cell phone in speaker mode, that is over,” he said. “Over and done in this country. Nobody wants to hear your video.”
As his speech gained notice, the captain focused on matters of manners and etiquette through the airplane’s intercom system.
“You people should treat people the way you want to be treated, but I have to say it every single flight because people don’t,” the pilot said. “They’re selfish and rude and we won’t have it.”
The clever tirade caught many passengers off guard, eliciting reactions such as “Jesus” and “What’s going on?” in the background of the video. Nevertheless, the internet is thoroughly enjoying it!
A user responded to Maltezos’ post, aligning with the pilot’s sentiments, “He’s not wrong — for him to say this, that means he’s fed up with all these childish adults.”
Another Instagram user remarked, “If you’re offended by this speech, congrats, you’re the problem.”
According to an annual report by the International Air Transport Association, there was an “unruly incident” reported for every 835 flights in 2021, which increased to one in every 568 flights in 2022.
Instances of non-compliance, verbal abuse, and intoxication are recognized as typical examples of unruly behavior, as noted by the IATA.
“The increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying. While our professional crews are well trained to manage unruly passenger scenarios, it is unacceptable that rules in place for everyone’s safety are disobeyed by a small but persistent minority of passengers,” IATA’s Deputy Director General Conrad Clifford said. “There is no excuse for not following the instructions of the crew.