The current generation of Indians is possibly the first to experience air travel on a mass scale. Their parents and grandparents mostly travelled by trains and buses — the default modes of long-distance travel in India for decades. And that legacy hasn’t just influenced their mindset — it’s practically hardwired into their DNA.
In India, trains and buses often halt for just a few seconds or minutes. Miss your cue, and you’re watching your ride disappear into the horizon. That constant urgency has left a deep imprint on the Indian bio-memory: “Get up before it’s too late.” The fear that the plane might suddenly take off again, or they might somehow miss their stop, seems irrational — but only if you didn’t grow up in a system where transport didn’t wait for anyone.
So, the moment the wheels touch the runway, you’ll see Indians spring up from their seats, stretch, pull out their bags, and queue up in the aisle — all while the plane is still taxiing. It looks chaotic to an outsider, but to many Indians, it feels natural — an instinct born of generations trained in travel by scarcity and speed.
Give it two more generations. With more exposure, more trust in systems, and a little less inherited anxiety, Indian flyers will likely wait in their seats just like Westerners do. But until then, welcome aboard — please remain seated, or at least try.