Airline pilot's amusing and forthright announcement schools passengers on following flight etiquette

Imagine your teacher catching your bully and scolding them even before you complain about them. Such was the feeling passengers of an American Airlines flight experienced when a pilot addressed the increasing number of instances of entitled passengers forgetting that their whims and fancies might cause inconvenience to others.

To prevent any drama from ill-courteous passengers, the captain took some time to remind people of basic rules and etiquette they need to follow while flying and not to make it a nightmarish experience for others, including staff. An Instagram video shared by comedy writer Anna Leah Maltezos (@lone_didion) managed to capture the amusing inflight announcement. The clip gained 5.9 million views and 436k likes. It was captioned, "Thank you for coming to his TED talk."

The unidentified captain can be heard going over everything from how to listen to music and communicate with flight attendants properly to the rights of the person in the middle seat. He also unequivocally states that they must respect one another. He was direct when it came to covering common issues that most frequent fliers have encountered, such as keeping carry-ons out of people's way.

His forthright and amusing demeanor caught some people off guard and hit a bit too close to home for those who knew the shoe fit them perfectly. Some passengers were even heard saying, "What's going on?" "Remember, the flight attendants are here for your safety," the pilot announced at the beginning of his speech. "After that, they're here to make your flight more enjoyable. They're going to take care of you guys, but you will listen to what they have to say because they represent my will in the cabin, and my will is what matters."

He continued, "Be nice to each other. Be respectful to each other. I shouldn't have to say that. You people should treat people the way you want to be treated. But I have to say it every single flight because people don't. And they're selfish and rude and we won't have it." Regarding carry-on baggage, he added, "Put your junk where it belongs. Everybody paid for a space. Don't lean on other people. Don't fall asleep on other people. Don't drool on them unless you've talked about it and they have a weather-resistant jacket."

The pilot continued: "The social experiment of listening to videos on speaker mode and talking on a cell phone in speaker mode is over. Over and done in this country. Nobody wants to hear your video. I know you think it's super sweet. It probably is, but it's your business, right? So keep it to yourself. Use your AirPods, use your headphones, whatever it is. That's your business, okay? It's just part of being in a respectful society." Although not agreed upon, he concluded with, "Middle seaters, I know it stinks to be in the middle... You own both armrests. That is my gift to you. Welcome on board our flight."

As a videographer and comedy writer, Maltezos told PEOPLE, "I found it entertaining and I appreciated the early-morning laugh. I didn't notice any negative vibes or reactions on the plane, just a chuckle here and there... It did seem oddly quiet afterward though... maybe everyone was just so awed by the gift of double armrests they were left speechless."