Flight passengers debate clapping upon touchdown: Major airline pilots react

What does a pilot really think when you applaud after a plane touches down?

While flight passengers might attempt to show gratitude for a safe landing, some say this act could offend or come across as rude to those steering the aircraft.

In a recent article, Rosie Panter, a travel expert with Dealchecker, a travel comparison website, commented about the flying ritual.

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"A round of applause. Two words. No and no," Panter told the Daily Express, a British newspaper.

"If you have had a particularly rocky flight and difficult landing, maybe a slight clap or thanks to the pilot as you leave, but no regular flight … should result in clapping. Let's leave that in the past."

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A major airline pilot, who requested her name be withheld for privacy reasons, had the opposite reaction.

"[There are] different reasons that people clap unanimously on the airplane. You know, it could be vacation time," she told Fox News Digital.

"Or it could be like a super turbulent, windy, you know, like everybody holding their breath and landing, and then it lands, and it's beautiful and everybody claps then, too," the pilot added.

Another airline pilot, who also requested anonymity, told Fox News Digital, "I mean, to be honest … there's like a secret little guilty pleasure, right?" 

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In truth, the pilots can't always hear applause from passengers because of how large a plane is and the distance between the cockpit and the flight cabin.

There is a sense of artistry when it comes to landing a plane smoothly, and applause can be seen as a way of acknowledging that beautiful performance, the pilots said.

"I think it's closer when you clap for somebody that is performing, just like a courtesy thing," one said. 

"They're doing their job, of course, but people still clap to say, 'Hey, you're doing your job well.'"

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An etiquette expert told the Daily Express applauding may be seen as disrespectful.

"Applause is not necessary after a landing and is rude to the pilots," the expert told the outlet.

"If the landing is good, clapping suggests surprise at such skill. If the landing is bad, applause would be insultingly sarcastic."

But not all etiquette experts appear to agree.

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Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant and Florida-based etiquette expert, said this interpretation of the applause is "completely untrue."

"I do not agree with the experts who say it is rude and disrespectful to clap after a safe landing," Whitmore told Fox News Digital.

"Passengers are simply showing their appreciation for the pilot's skill in landing the plane safely."

While applauding may not necessarily be something pilots dislike, there are other comments from passengers that pilots don't appreciate.

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"My least favorite thing that I hear from passengers, though, is, 'Thank you for a safe flight,' because I think that is such a given. That's my goal," one pilot said.

"I want a safe flight too. I'm on this plane, too. I want to get home to my family just as bad as you."

There are other things you can say to pilots to show your appreciation or gratitude, one of the pilots told Fox News Digital.

Thank the pilot for an "enjoyable flight" or a great landing.

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You could also thank the pilot as you exit the aircraft.

Whitmore agreed that these acts of thankfulness are good forms of etiquette.

"If you do get a chance to stand in the door, most people are staring down at their phones, [and] they don't even recognize that there's actually a pilot standing in the doorway because they're so focused on where they're going," an airline pilot said.

"So, I enjoy any kind of engagement where you get to say, 'You're welcome' or 'Thanks so much.'"

Fox News Digital reached out to Dealchecker for comment.