An Ethnography of Airplane Travel

Introduction:

The task was to observe a place and conduct an ethnographic study of a particular setting. However, I deviated from the task of creating an ethnography of a specific place in a city. I opted to explain why an ethnographic study of commercial plane travel is also an interesting setting in a city in which notable culture, social structure, and deviance of norms and values take place. Additionally, having been on several flights throughout the semester, I figured that this would be an interesting way to conduct an ethnographic study of a place in the city.

While I have travelled and been to multiple airports throughout my life, being in an airport and on an airplane is not part of my everyday life. I found that inside the restricted area of an airplane cabin people are both forced to interact as well as willingly interact, and it is possible to sit back and observe on a micro level how people act differently and similarly, enabling the observation of trends as well as deviance in an airplane cabin setting.

Before I took my first plane ride of the semester to Palm Beach Florida in early November I had not decided what aspect or angle I wanted to research on a plane. I figured I would know after my first three hour-long flight. There were two flights in this trip, one to Florida and then back to Boston. I also flew to San Francisco for thanksgiving and back, which is a longer flight of about seven hours. This gave me a lot of time to both observe and write my paper.

The setting of traveling on the plane is what I have focused on. Not specifically passengers in their seats on the plane, but the passenger during the whole process of travelling on a plane from boarding, during flight, and waiting to get off the plane. I fit in as a regular in the situation. No one thought that I shouldn’t be there. I was a traveler just like everyone else. I decided to participate as little as possible when it came to the boarding process and then talk to people when on the plane after observing the situation and if particular passengers sitting near me were up for conversation. Therefore, I flew on 4 different occasions and focused on behaviors, actions, norms, cultures and the politics of conversation during my participant observations of plane cabin travel.

Local Culture:

When I flew out of Logan the first time of the semester I sat by the gate, which is where I made my initial observations while observing people as they boarded the flight. I decided to be the last person on the plane. To not seem too strange sitting there looking at people, I put my iPhone ear buds in my ears as a method of unobtrusiveness. While it is perfectly normal to people-watch at the airport, one must do so in a way that isn’t obvious or intimidating to the other travelers. To blatantly stare is a violation of norms. Travelers and passengers do stare at one another with the intentions of not getting caught. This is due to the fact that so many travelers from so many different walks of life interact directly and indirectly on planes and at gates. Utilizing headphones in order to observe other passengers is seldom talked about but seemingly normal during plane travel. Therefore, I was a secret observer that was accepted without question.

Interestingly, another norm that I noticed during my 4 occasions of airplane travel is that passengers line up far before both boarding and departure. The plane was scheduled to leave at 10 am Friday morning. 45 minutes before this, people started lining up in front of the gate expecting boarding to start. It never made sense to me why people wanted to be the first in line in order to be the first on the plane. After all, everyone takes off and lands at the same time, and seats have been previously selected. Regardless, this norm obviously serves some kind of a function in the local culture of plane cabin travel during both boarding and departure. It is almost as if those that are frequent travelers with only themselves to mind or worry about accept this norm somewhat sarcastically and wait patiently in the back of the line in order to not only reassure other travelers that all is well, but also establish their presence as an individual who knows exactly how this process works. These individuals do not need to stress, assuming travel times are relatively accurate and that the flight has not been overbooked.

For instance, by the time it was 9:30 AM more people had arrived at the gate and there was one big cluster of people in front of the door now waiting to hear their row in a range of rows that was announced over the speakers. More often than not, first class passengers or those with special arrangements and/or frequent flier miles, for what otherwise can be described as VIP passengers, get to board the plane first. However, in order to reassure their positions as VIPs, they always seem to be cool, calm and collected, knowing that their seat on the plane will not be jeopardized. People were rushing to the door. Some seeming unnaturally stressed considering the calm situation of standing in line to board. I observed and singled out a few people who were obvious frequent travelers. Most of them had packed a light carry-on bag, seemed un-phased and calm, and stood patiently in the back of the line, most of them alone and/or on their phones. Others were fidgeting, seeming like they had 45 bags and twelve kids to take care of, when all they really had was two bags and two children.

This suggests an ideology of sympathy as well as slight annoyance that can be evoked by other passengers. These types of travelers, those travelling with children, multiple carry-on items, and those whom might be younger and newer to flying, are the types of travelers that evoke the most sympathy as well as the most frustration. Parents seem stressed out the most. Those passengers travelling with children and babies evoke emotional responses from other passengers. During on flight I observed one woman asking a mother whether this was the first time her infant has travelled. They become enthralled in small talk and conversation about travelling with children, the stressfulness of the situation, and the struggles of the travelling mother.

During one flight, after all the passengers had boarded, I waited to hear my name called over the speakers and then walked to the gate. There was still a line in the corridor to get on the plane. People were standing in a single-file line now. The only conversation that seemed to be going on at this point was the banter between a security guard and a technician at the gate. The security guard was making these autonomous passengers laugh. We autonomous coach passengers seemed to be bonding over his strange jokes, looking at each other nodding and laughing in a discrete manner. After boarding was complete with me being the last person on the plane, I was able to look at all the people perfectly seated in their seats. Most of the passengers looked up at me as I passed through. Since I was the last passenger on the plan, all of the other passengers seemed to notice this and were ready for takeoff. Some eager to get home, some eager to get to their business or vacation destination, and some eager to make the transfer to another commercial flight. Regardless of the purposes of the trip, a sense of eagerness as well as calm permeated the more or less silent cabin before takeoff.

I was seated in row 14 in one flight at a window seat. I recall apologizing to the man next to me that had to stand for me to slip into my seat. This is one of many informal norms one can notice on a plane. I sat down and said “you were probably hoping the last person on would not be the one sitting in the empty seat next to you”. He laughed and reassured me he was happy it was me and not a 300-pound man. It is interesting how on a plane, it is a norm to not speak to whomever you sit next to on a plane for hours. It is perfectly accepted to only exchange a few words when you tell the person next to you that you have to use the restroom or stretch your legs. An overly polite tone and manner is used.

Additionally, as people slip into their seats and excuse themselves to sit down in their appropriate seat, arise and use the restroom, or even stretch their legs and adjust themselves, one particular facial gesture is frequently used. The head tilt downward and a closed-mouth smile. I found myself unconsciously doing this gesture and I observed others doing it as well. This gesture suggests the acknowledgement of others, the respect and lack of ill-will towards others, and the acceptance of the situation you are experiencing with others as this somewhat minimal-interaction social space travels hundreds of miles per hour through the atmosphere.

When it comes to formal rules on planes there are many. First of all, you have to sit in the seat you were assigned on your ticket. Not doing so would probably create much chaos and confusion. Secondly, you must have your seatbelt fastened at all times while seated. During takeoff and landing there are formal rules that tell you to put up your table and put your seat in an upright position. You are also not allowed to use any electronic devices during takeoff and landing. There is no smoking on flights and your carry-on bag must be placed under the seat in front of you or in an overhead compartment. There are also several informal rules when it comes to interacting with stewardesses and people you sit next to on the plane. You are overly polite towards everyone. You especially treat the stewardesses politely because they are responsible for making you trip comfortable and/or as enjoyable as possible with the materials they are given.

The material culture on airplanes is interesting. The in-flight magazines are generally politically neutral, discuss current events, are often business-related, and have friendly and easily discernable interfaces. You will never find anything too racy or controversial on airplanes. Typical snacks handed out by stewardesses are never too salty or too sweet, and often consist of single-serving snacks such as pretzels, peanuts, or light cookies. This suggests that those planning the material culture on airplanes do so ever so carefully and acknowledge that every traveler is different in their beliefs, ideologies, religions, and points of view as well as their taste preferences. The material culture and the formal rules characterize set routines, while the informal rules of politeness, head-nodding, and light-hearted as well as minimal conversation suggest the informalities that subtly point to routines characteristics of most typical flights, including the four flights I participated in and observed throughout my travels in the coach cabins of airplanes.

Social structure and groups:

Since the nature of travelling and the nature of airplane cabin culture has very different types of passengers as well as high varieties of ethnicities and backgrounds, the ways in which I will describe status and roles during in-flight and cabin travel will be determined by where passengers are sitting, what they may or may not be wearing, and whom, if anybody, they are travelling with.

For instance, one of the most obvious and apparent characters of most commercial flights is the distinction between first class, business class, and coach. There are a variety of passengers on any airplane and in the instances of which I travelled the majority of passengers were White. This isn’t surprising due to the destination of travel and since we were travelling within the United States in which the majority population consists of white people. Additionally, those that travel are those with enough money to travel are often people of middle class, upper middle class, and upper class travelers. In first class, I observed various types of passengers. All of which seemed to be travelling for work, due to the frequency of suits and ties, or were travelling for pleasure with expensive or seemingly expensive luggage and clothing. It is difficult to say whether or not the majority of first-class passengers are ‘rich’ or ‘well off’; while this is likely the case, it would be against airplane etiquette, and general human-to-human interaction etiquette in the United States, to go around asking whether or not the passengers in first class are rich or of upper-middle class status.

While I did not sit in first class, I can discuss more at length the statuses and variety of passengers in the coach cabin. Some passengers make it a point to dress up for airplane travel. I observed women in heels and men in collared shirts. However, there are also a good amount of passengers wearing sweat pants and seemingly make as little effort as possible in order to be comfortable while travelling. However, the majority of passengers dress conservatively, which seems to be an unspoken norm of airplane travel. Since seats are more or less randomized in coach, there aren’t discernable differences in groups or statuses throughout the coach cabin. As a matter of fact, other than actual status marked by seat placements between first class, business class and coach, there aren’t necessarily discernable differences in appearance, manner or mannerisms, making airplane travel a somewhat difficult space to determine what behaviors and mannerisms distinguish high class status versus middle or even lower class status.

The passengers are by-and –large strangers. However, we follow the norms that are required of us while also following the norms of silence, politeness, and autonomy. The majority of people travel alone. However, those in groups find it much more acceptable to engage in chatter and banter throughout the flight. Sometimes, individuals during flight, namely the veterans or even the rookies of airplane travel, engage in travel talk with complete strangers. People tend to engage with the individuals that are traveling with children more often than the individuals travelling alone. Individuals travelling with children, typically mothers or mothers and fathers, are engaged in banter whether it was clearly welcomed or not due to the fact that their children are likely making noise. Women travelling alone are especially keen on talking with these particular individuals or groups, engaging in small talk referencing motherhood, ‘little ones’ and travelling with children.

Deviance:

As discussed previously when describing the culture of the plane passengers, deviant behavior is generally minimal. However, those that are deviant tend to be children whom often have less control over their emotions or behaviors than adults (Tronick 112). Infants cry, and parents generally do their best as to quiet and calm their infants because they don’t want to disturb other passengers. Infants’ behavior is both deviant and accepted due to their infant status. Additionally, those that come onto the plain with an obvious ailment are generally not as accepted or welcomed by other passengers. Passengers who frequently cough or sneeze are generally avoided to the extent possible. Passengers sitting next to these people will avoid small talk and even inch towards the sides of their chairs. This behavior is generally unintentional, but also undesirable. ‘Deviant’ behavior due to sickness or ailments is subtly marked by facial expressions or disinterest and disturbance by otherwise more or less healthy passengers.

Stratification:

A few things can be said about the social classes characteristic of airplane travelers in this setting. They are generally American, white, and of middle, upper middle, and upper class status. While it is obvious that this cannot be said for all travelers, adult travelers are assumed to have travelled in this method before. It is likely that the majority of passengers have flown at least once before in their lifetime. Flying in an airplane is not the cheapest method of travel, and therefore becomes a symbol of social status in and of itself.

The setting is multicultural, but majorities do prevail in some senses. Those travelling with children mainly consist of mothers, or mothers and father pairings. However, gender roles and race are not outwardly expressed in an airplane setting. All are treated generally equally in their respective cabins. However, stewardesses cater those in first class more overtly than those in business class or coach due to the social status they acquired and the greater amount of money they have invested in their in-flight experiences. The cultural characteristics of airplane cabin travel are more complex than what has been discussed here. However, it is undeniable that airplane cabin travel contains cultural norms, values, and even deviant behavior and social stratification among passengers.

Work Cited

Tronick, Edward Z. "Emotions and Emotional Communication in Infants." American Psychologist, vol. 44, no. 2, 1989, pp. 112-19.