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The Rudest Things You Can Do While Deplaning

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Air travel does not typically bring out the best in people. The stress of tight connections, long lines, cramped cabins and general transit fatigue can push even the calmest travelers to their limits.

But that doesn’t mean you have to add to the unpleasantness. Indeed, there are many things passengers do that make the flight experience worse for their fellow travellers – from the airport to boarding and even deplaning.

On the latter front, the lack of courtesy has gotten particularly dire.

“It’s like a cattle call to both get on the plane and then get off,” said August Abbott, an etiquette expert with JustAnswer. “It’s embarrassing to the whole human race to see otherwise caring, helpful and patient people lose all sense of their humanity and seemingly revert to instinctive behaviour and act like animals fighting for survival.”

To help improve the situation, HuffPost asked etiquette experts to share some common rude behaviours during the deplaning process. Read on for eight faux pas and what you should do instead.

Not waiting your turn

“It’s important to be courteous to fellow passengers, and waiting for your row to deplane is the most obvious and courteous behaviour,” said Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert, author of Modern Etiquette for a Better Life and founder of The Protocol School of Texas.

There’s a term for people who immediately stand and rush up the aisle the moment the plane arrives at the gate: aisle lice. You don’t want to be part of this group.

In instances of major delays, the flight crew often asks passengers who aren’t making tight connections to stay seated and allow those in a rush to deplane first. So if you’ve arrived at your final destination, show courtesy by respecting that request.

Otherwise, Gottsman advised not assuming you’re the only one with a connection.

“If you are running late for another flight, so are the people in front of you and behind you,” she said. “If you need assistance, you can ask a flight attendant.”

Ignoring flight crew requests around tight connections

As noted, in the event of a long delay, flight attendants may ask those who are arriving at their final destination or have ample time to make their next flight to stay seated and allow those with shorter windows the chance to deplane first.

“If a nearby passenger has a very tight connection, it is kind to allow them to exit as quickly as possible,” said Jodi R.R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting.

Those who’ve been in this situation know that passengers don’t always heed the request, however, which is a very inconsiderate behaviour.

Being unprepared and holding everyone up

“Let’s face it. Even on short commuter flights, everyone wants to be off the plane,” Smith said. “Gather your belongings so you are ready when it is your turn to deplane.”

She pointed to “clogging the aisle” as a deplaning faux pas many passengers commit. “It is their turn to exit and they just start looking about for their belongings.”

Travelers who aren’t prepared to deplane when it’s their turn should allow others to pass them, Smith added.

“Be ready when it’s time for your row,” echoed Nick Leighton, an etiquette expert and cohost of the “Were You Raised by Wolves?” podcast. “It’s no secret when you’re next. Be prepared!”

Smith recommended taking a moment after landing to look around your seat.

“Check for anything that may have come out of your carry-on,” Smith advised. “Do you have your phone, snack containers, water bottle, book, etc.?”

Shoving into the crowded aisle

Smith noted that “trying to push into an already crowded aisle” is another rude deplaning behaviour.

“You should allow the row ahead of you to clear before you deplane,” she said. “It certainly is fine to stand in the aisle if there is space, but shoving is not going to speed your departure.”

If standing at your seat is uncomfortable, you can always sit back down and have your under-seat belongings ready to go on your lap. There’s no need to push anyone out of the way.

“Is shoving your way to the front so you can save 10 seconds really worth it? Probably not!” Leighton noted.

Taking bags down from the overhead bin with nowhere to put them

Just as you shouldn’t shove your body into the aisle when it’s already full of people, you should refrain from adding luggage into the mix if there’s nowhere to put it.

As Smith noted, another rude behaviour is “insisting on taking down items from the overhead bin when there is no physical space to put them yet.”

Of course, everyone needs to retrieve their luggage eventually ― just wait until there’s actually room to safely manoeuvre. Timing is everything.

Whacking people with your things

“Be aware when you do remove bags from the overhead bins,” Smith said. “It is never polite to hit another passenger in the head with your luggage.”

Spatial awareness is hugely important when it comes to courtesy and consideration toward others.

“Try to be conscious of your space,” Smith advised. “Whipping your backpack or bag onto your back while standing in a crowded aisle is bound to create issues.”

Leaving a mess behind

Don’t treat the plane like your personal bin. If you missed the trash collection before landing, don’t leave it to the crew to clean up the mess.

“Nowadays, it is polite to assist the crew in turning over your plane,” Smith said. “Armrests up, shades down – especially in warm climates – and seat belt crossed. Any of your remaining trash, wrappers, empty drinks and certainly used tissues, should be carried with you into the terminal for proper disposal.”

Complaining without helping

“One of the most rude and offensive behaviours is complaining about someone struggling to collect their carry-ons – instead of just helping them,” Abbott said. “Is it that much easier to rant and rage than to be kind and caring?”

Before complaining, travellers who are able to assist their fellow passenger with a tricky overhead bag manoeuvre should offer to help, or try to find someone else who can.

“Shame on those growing impatient with the speed that those ahead of you are setting due to struggles no one is helping them with,” Abbott said.

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Why You Sometimes Feel Sad After Sex, Even When It’s Good Sex

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When he was in his early 20s, Los Angeles-based writer Brandon G. Alexander often felt an inexplicable sadness after sex, even when it was “good” sex with people he liked.

“The best way to describe the feeling is empty or sometimes shame, depending on my relationship and intention with the person,” the 30-year-old founder of the men’s lifestyle site New Age Gents told HuffPost.

“Our culture teaches men how to be physically connected to someone, but we ignore the truth that sex is highly emotional and spiritual. The idea that a man wouldn’t feel something before, during or after sex is unrealistic, but most have become so conditioned to think otherwise.”

What Alexander experienced years ago is what researchers call “post-coital dysphoria.” PCD, as they refer to it, is a condition marked by feelings of agitation, melancholy, anxiety or sadness after intercourse, even when it’s good, consensual sex. The condition can last between five minutes and two hours.

It’s also called “post-coital tristesse,” which literally means “sadness” in French. In the 17th century, philosopher Baruch Spinoza summed it up this way: Once the “enjoyment of sensual pleasure is past, the greatest sadness follows.”

Many studies have examined the first three phases of the human sexual response cycle (excitement, plateau, orgasm), but the resolution phase has often been overlooked.

That’s starting to change, though. In a 2015 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, almost half of the women surveyed reported experiencing PCD at some point in their lives, and around 5 percent said they’d felt it regularly within the past month.

A new study from the same researchers published in June suggests that PCD is almost just as prevalent in men: In an online survey of 1,208 male participants, around 40 percent of men said they’d experienced PCD in their lifetime, and 4 percent said it was a regular occurrence.

In excerpts from the survey, men admit to feeling a “strong sense of self-loathing” about themselves post-sex and “a lot of shame.” Others say they’d experienced “crying fits and full on depressive episodes” after sex that sometimes left their significant others worried.

“Men who may suffer from PCD think that they are the only person in the world with this experience, but they should recognize that there’s a diversity of experiences in the resolution phase of sex.”

– Robert Schweitzer, a psychology professor at Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

Despite the number of men who reported experiencing PCD, it’s challenging for researchers to study it because most men are reluctant to talk about it, said Robert Schweitzer, the lead author on both studies and a psychology professor at Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

“Men who may suffer from PCD think that they are the only person in the world with this experience, but they should recognise that there’s a diversity of experiences in the resolution phase of sex,” he told HuffPost.

“As with many diagnoses, it provides some relief to be able to name the phenomenon.” (Schweitzer is still collecting accounts of people with PCD for his ongoing research.)

As to why it’s so common in both men and women, a study of twins suggested that genetics may play some sort of role. PCD is also often linked with sexual abuse, trauma and sexual dysfunction, but that’s certainly not always the case; in this latest study, the majority of the men who reported PCD hadn’t experienced those issues and were in otherwise healthy, satisfying relationships.

More often than not, Schweitzer thinks PCD is a culmination of both physical and psychological factors. Physically, orgasms activate a flood of endorphins and other feel-good hormones, but the neurochemical prolactin follows, resulting in a sometimes intense comedown. Psychologically, the paper establishes a correlation between the frequency of PCD and “high psychological distress” in other aspects of a person’s life.

Sometimes, the psychological factors are compounded by the knowledge that no emotional connection exists with a sexual partner, said Kimberly Resnick Anderson, a Los Angeles-based sex therapist unaffiliated with the study.

“Some of my clients, especially males with sex addictions, report post-coital dysphoria because deep down, they know there is no bond between them and the person they are sleeping with,” she told HuffPost.

Other times, patients worry that their partners just weren’t that into the sex.

“If you believe your partner was just ‘taking one for the team’ and not genuinely interested in sex, it can lead to a sense of shame and guilt,” Resnick Anderson added.

What’s important to remember, she said, is that sex can mean different things at different stages of your life. And as these recent studies show, nuanced, complicated post-coital feelings are completely natural.

“We need to have more conversations about men and intimacy. The more we tell guys it’s OK to feel ― or protect your heart by waiting to sleep with someone sometimes ― the more we’ll change the old ideas around men and sex.”

– Brandon G. Alexander, lifestyle writer

There may be ways to curtail the negative feelings, too: For starters, stick around rather than high-tailing it out the door after a hookup session – or if you’re in a relationship, cuddle instead of heading to the living room to watch Netflix.

A 2012 study on the resolution phase of sex showed that couples who engage in pillow talk, kissing and cuddling after intercourse report greater sexual and relationship satisfaction.

And be honest about your emotions after sex, without assigning blame to yourself or your partner. As the growing research shows, men and women feel a full spectrum of emotions after sex, and that’s perfectly normal.

That’s something that Alexander, the writer who experienced PCD often in his 20s, had to learn on his own as he approached his 30s.

“As a guy, you shouldn’t numb out or try to deal with PCD in silence,” he said. “We need to have more conversations about men and intimacy. The more we tell guys it’s OK to feel – or protect your heart by waiting to sleep with someone sometimes – the more we’ll change the old ideas around men and sex.”

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9 Cheap Ingredients Home Cooks Say Instantly Makes Food Better

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Maybe you add a touch of baking powder to your tomato sauce to counterbalance the acidity, or perhaps you whack some cream in your bolognese (a la Mary Berry) for a smooth, velvety finish.

You might dust roast spuds and parsnips in semolina for a satisfying crunch, too.

But even though I write a lot about sneaky secret ingredients, I’m always on the lookout for more – especially if they don’t cost much. That’s why I was so excited to read the responses to an r/cookingforbeginners post shared by u/BlastarBanshee.

“What’s the one cheap ingredient that instantly makes everything taste better?” they asked.

Here are some of the best responses:

1) “Celery salt.”

Credit: u/ShopEmpress

“This is… under-appreciated,” u/Barneyboydog agreed.

“It’s a game-changer on fried eggs.”

2) “MSG.”

Credit: u/glumpoodle

“I just ordered a thing of MSG… and holy shit. It’s actually got less sodium by volume than any salt I own, and the flavour is just mind-blowing,” u/alek_hiddel replied.

3) “A couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar in a stew.”

Credit: u/Cold-Call-8374

“Yep… a splash (or two) of sherry vinegar at the end of a stew takes it to another level. I learned this trick a few years ago, and now I always have sherry vinegar on hand,” replied u/Dense_Willow4627.

4) “Smoked paprika.”

″[It offers] the simple ability to add the flavour of open fire cooking back into the food we eat.”

Credit: u/STS986

“Every time I taste something new and go, ‘oh that’s good!’, I look up [its] ingredients and it’s almost always [got] paprika,” u/Rogerbva090566 responded.

5) “As a Balkan [person], only Vegeta is allowed as an answer.”

Credit: u/niki2907

“As a non-Balkan… this stuff is the shit,” said u/MuddyHandprints.

6) “A little yeast extract like Marmite is an awesome flavour boost for braised meat dishes, especially beef.”

Credit: u/bullsbarry

7) “Salted butter in chocolate chip cookies.”

Credit: u/Cold-Call-8374

8) “If I’m making something that’s tomato-based, I’ll almost always add a good squirt of ketchup at the end.”

Credit: u/Untouchable-Ninja

9) ” An anchovy… or some dried mushrooms.”

“Basically, you know, MSG in a more natural state.”

Credit: u/BikeTough6760

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Trump’s ‘Meaningless’ Ukraine Deal Stunned The West – But He May Have Had An Ulterior Motive

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Donald Trump appears to have made yet another major U-turn by working with Russia to come up with a peace deal to end the Ukraine war – without involving Ukraine.

The 28-point plan was leaked this week, and while it is yet to be confirmed by any of the main parties, it is being discussed by international leaders.

But this draft framework is very favourable towards Moscow and meets many of Vladimir Putin’s pre-war demands from Ukraine – including significant territory concessions by Kyiv.

The US reportedly wants this early draft signed as soon as next Thursday – even threatening to withdraw intelligence and weapons unless it agrees to it – although Ukraine has already pushed back.

However, it was not too long ago that Trump was demanding Putin negotiate over the deal.

He even tried to corner him by putting sanctions on Russian oil, which officially came into effect on Friday.

So where did this deal come from – and will it even be effective?

What is in Trump’s 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine?

According to reports in Axios, Reuters and the Financial Times, Ukraine is expected to give up its claim to its sovereign territory, Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk completely – so they become de fact Russian.

Kherson and Zaporzhzhia would be frozen along the lines of contact, while Russia will “relinquish other agreed territories it controls outside the five regions”.

While the leaked draft claimed Ukraine would receive security guarantees, they were not listed. The US would then receive compensation for that guarantee, according to the plan.

Ukraine would also not join Nato, despite having a long-standing ambition to join the defence alliance, and no Nato troops would be stationed in Ukraine.

European fighter jets would be “stationed” in Poland – although details as to which countries would provide these jets remain unclear.

Ukraine’s armed forces would be limited to 600,000 and a Ukrainian election would be held within 100 days.

A joint US-Russia working group would be set up to look at the ongoing security issues, while Russia would return to the global community – and sanctions would be lifted.

Could Trump’s plan work?

Senior consulting fellow for Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme, Keir Giles, seemed unconvinced – and pointed out a clear flaw with Trump’s plan.

He told HuffPost UK the path towards peace is not as “one-sided as the US might think”, because Ukraine has to have a say for a deal to work.

Giles also said the US’s influence over Ukraine weakens every time the White House withdraws more of its aid.

He suggested that deal had been created so it looks like a “two-sided process” but Russia has not compromised on anything significant.

Dr Simon Bennett, director of the civil safety and security unit at Leicester University, said: “As far as Ukraine is concerned, the plan is a non-starter. Ukraine will never surrender that portion of the Donbas still under its control.

“The Ukrainian people would never stand for it. They have spilled too much blood and treasure to surrender their land.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted he will not betray Ukraine’s national interest while he considers Trump’s plan.

But he acknowledged that Kyiv faced losing a major partner or losing its dignity.

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I held a meeting with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha and our diplomatic team. We are working to ensure that Ukraine’s national interests are taken into account at every level of our relations with partners. Right now, there are meetings, calls, and work on… pic.twitter.com/vQl47aHVRq

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 21, 2025

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Right now, there are meetings, calls, and work on… pic.twitter.com/vQl47aHVRq— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 21, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1366,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G6R-pdZXgAAXSL0.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":2048,"title":"Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський on Twitter / 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I held a meeting with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha and our diplomatic team. We are working to ensure that Ukraine’s national interests are taken into account at every level of our relations with partners. Right now, there are meetings, calls, and work on… pic.twitter.com/vQl47aHVRq

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 21, 2025

Why is the timing around this framework questionable?

Bennett told HuffPost UK that Trump is very keen to get a deal over the line because of his own personal ambitions – and pressures.

He said: “Trump is desperate to claim that he ended the war between Ukraine and Russia, first, because he covets the Nobel Peace Prize, and secondly, because he believes this sort of foreign policy initiative will distract his MAGA base from the Epstein scandal that – depending on what we find in the files when they are released – may cripple his presidency.”

Giles seconded this notion.

The consulting fellow also questioned whether Trump’s deal was “supposed to be released in this form” or if there had been some kind of manipulation from the Russian side to release it early, in a bid to force the US’s hand.

Giles rebuffed claims that Putin’s top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, had torpedoed any negotiation with the States after a frosty exchange with his American counterpart in October, saying it was clear US’s efforts for peace in Ukraine were always going to continue.

When it comes to Russia’s motives for appearing more willing to negotiate – while actually compromising on almost nothing – Bennett speculated that Putin might be more interested in a peace plan now because of an ongoing resource issue.

“Russia’s progress is painfully slow. Despite its vast resources, the Russian army is failing in the field. Which is why Putin is looking for an off-ramp. He knows his campaign is failing,” Bennett said.

Interestingly, Ukraine also marks the Day of Dignity and Freedom on November 21, the day Trump gave Kyiv a deadline to agree to peace.

Ukraine’s two most recent anti-Russia revolts, the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity of 2013, began on this date.

What happens next?

While Ukraine weighs up how to respond, Giles predicted negotiations will go “round and round” because Trump’s deal is “meaningless and unenforceable”.

Zelenskyy will certainly have to be careful not to outright reject the plan, having been on the receiving end of Trump’s wrath multiple times already this year.

He will want to be seen as co-operative, while still pushing back on the strategy.

Giles also predicted that the “war might not be decided on the frontline,” if the trend of Ukraine being able to better defend itself continues.”

He added that “we should expect surprises from Ukraine” as the war continues and Kyiv is forced to become more self-reliant.

He pointed to the recent attacks on Russian oil refineries and said “the means by which Ukraine can deliver an effect might change the risk-benefit of war for people in the Kremlin.”

Verified images show one of Russia’s largest oil refineries was set on fire twice this week by Ukrainian attacks.

Similarly, Bennett said: “This is Kyiv’s war, not Washington’s war. Trump surrendered his leadership and moral authority when he courted Putin in Alaska.

“This is now Europe’s war. It is nothing to do with a perfidious United States. As I have said before, this is 1939. Europe has again been abandoned by the US. We have to fight and win this on our own.”

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