A travel influencer has drawn applause and pushback for a rigorous list of plane etiquette rules, including no shoes off and greeting flight attendants as 'a bare minimum'

• A travel influencer went viral with a comprehensive and rigorous list of plane etiquette guidelines.
• The TikToker's list suggested passengers must greet attendants and that no one should be taking their shoes or socks off.

A travel influencer has drawn support — and some side-eyes — with a rigorous list of best practices on a plane, including rules against taking off shoes and bringing on any fish products or foods with "odor."

It's the latest viral video in a burgeoning TikTok subgenre, sometimes dubbed FlightTok, where creators offer their reasonable and nitpicky opinions on plane equiette to a polarized audience.

The 30-year-old Ben Keenan's (@ivebentraveling) plane etiquette video was first shared in 2022, but he re-posted it last week to 300,000 views.

In the clip, he laid out an extensive list of rules and decorum: Passengers must greet flight attendants when they board; no diaper changing in your seat; elbows, feet, and other body parts must be tucked away from the aisle when attendants walk by; no fishy or other odorous items should be brought on flights; and when the flight lands, no immediate clapping or standing.

Viewers felt that some of his opinions were too fussy, like suggesting people should always look behind them before reclining their chairs, and that people should never remove their shoes, however long and tiring the flight is.

"Nope… definitely taking my shoes off!" one top comment pushed back. "And I'm not turning back to check… I will recline gently though."

"Mostly agree but sorry I'm taking my shoes off," another viewer weighed in.

Most people, however, ardently agreed with Keenan's takes. "No thank you so much bc I'm taking my first flight next week so I really appreciate this," said one commenter.

Some TikTokers took the opportunity to share their own terrible travel experiences: One person said they were scarred by a woman who clipped her toenails "within the first hour of an 8 hour flight," while another commenter said they saw a man fling a used band-aid on a plane.

Fans are now asking him his opinions on other social etiquette, like offering gift cards to flight attendants in hopes of receiving special treatment.

Keenan, who has over 80,000 followers on the platform, told Insider his mission is to take a "lighthearted, almost satirical approach to venting frustrations that we're all feeling when traveling."

"After all, we've all come across someone during our travels that we wish we could look directly in the eyes and say, 'You know, there's a kinder, more efficient, more conscientious way to approach what you're doing right now,'" Keenan said.

The influencer has posted extensively about plane etiquette — 45 videos, in fact, under a playlist titled "Travel for Dummies." His etiquette rants have amassed millions of views, with his most popular one, seen 1.7 million times, calling out travelers who forget to put their shoes in the bin at TSA.

He said the success of these videos inspires him to create more.

"It was clear that I wasn't the only one with airport frustrations and people felt safe expressing those feelings in the comment section," Keenan told Insider. "In response, I started making pile-on videos in response to requests for additional travel etiquette rules from the airport, to the airplane, to baggage claim, and beyond."

He has since posted more videos about best flying practices and responses to viewers' questions. In one clip, he addressed seating assignments — a hot topic in the world of FlightTok, especially after a fellow travel influencer went viral last week after she said middle seaters deserve both armrests.

He said the middle seat is "arguably the worst seat" in the plane, so those passengers "automatically get to do whatever" they want, including taking both armrests.

When asked for even more travel etiquette opinions, Keenan told Insider that passengers should generally not be a "turd" to flight attendants and that parents should strategically plan for their children to burn off energy before their flight.

"I am quite literally a bottomless pit of travel etiquette rules, and I look forward to continuing to make videos that reflect that," Keenan added.