Airplane Etiquette
I don't know where they all come from, but it seems like the worst people on the planet congregate at airports. Okay, that's not fair, there are plenty of people who know the written (and unwritten) rules of air travel and go about their business not bothering anybody. It's the people who either don't know or ignore those rules who stick out.
Dear reader, I don't want you to be "that guy," so I have compiled some rules you should follow when at the airport or specifically on the airplane. If everyone follows these rules, your flight will take off without a hitch, so feel free to share with any fellow travelers!
Get to the airport early. Two to three hours before your flight is ideal. You need to have time to get through check-in and security without trying to jump ahead of everyone else who did get there on time.
Bring all of your travel documents. This may surprise you, but our trip to Greece was delayed because a family actually showed up without everyone's passports. How did they think they were going to get anywhere? Our pilot didn't understand either, his announcement went something like, "So, some people tried to get on the plane without their passports? I'm just as confused as you are."
Get settled on the plane as quickly as possible. The more time you spend standing in the aisle trying to shove your oversized carry-on into the overhead compartment, the more time I have to wait to get to my seat, causing a traffic jam all the way to the front of the plane. And for that matter...
Don't take up all of the overhead space. I understand you are concerned about losing your luggage if you check it, I go through the same anxiety every trip. But that doesn't mean I try to bring a barely-regulation sized suitcase onto the plane with me and hope it will suddenly shrink when I try to put it away. If you are going to bring a carry-on, choose an appropriate size. Also, you will be surprised how much can fit under the seat in front of you, give it a shot.
Don't leave the overhead compartment open. This also happened during my last trip. Someone stood up to retrieve something from their bag and FORGOT TO CLOSE THE COMPARTMENT! I was anxious the entire ten minutes it took for a flight attendant to notice and close it. Haven't you heard that contents shift during the flight? Your bag could have fallen out and hit someone! I almost got up to close it myself and shake a disapproving finger.
Listen to the flight attendants. While you shouldn't blindly follow every direction given to you in life, on an airplane, you should. They want to get through the flight as smoothly as possible too, so do as they say and pay attention to that safety demonstration or video at the beginning of the flight. You never know when you will need that information.
Sit down and shut up. The longer you take getting settled, the longer we all have to wait to leave.
Don't make a scene. I went through a very stressful flight when a family that was flying on standby was upset that they weren't all sitting together. First of all, that is not how standby works. Second, the father was very rude to the flight attendants who were actually trying to help them. Here is what I would suggest otherwise, because my roommate and I went through a similar situation on our last trip. We booked our flight through Priceline instead of the airline and didn't realize until we got to the airport that we would not be sitting together. Step 1: If you did not choose your seats when booking the flight, I would suggest calling the airline ahead of time to check your seating arrangement days, weeks or even months before your flight leaves. I did not think to do this so I don't know if it works, but it's worth a shot. Step 2: If that does not work, ask at check-in if they can move your seats. We were told that the flight was full and they were not able to move us. However, sometimes as it gets closer to the flight, people drop out. Step 3: Wait a little while and ask again at the terminal check-in. This worked on our flight to Greece when several people had canceled and they were happy to change our boarding passes and seat us together. However, this was not the case on our flight home. Step 4: Once you are on the plane, and if there is not too much chaos happening, ask the person next to you if they wouldn't mind switching seats with your travel partner. The worst they can say is no, which the person to my left did say to me when I asked if he would switch with my roommate. But I was in the middle seat, and the person to my right who got on the plane a little later (and who was pretty cute and I almost didn't ask him, sorry Becky!) was fine with switching so Becky and I could sit together. Step 5: If all else fails, ask a flight attendant. They understand that some people have airplane anxiety and need to be next to someone they know. It may take some time because they have other priorities too, but be patient and chances are someone on the plane will be happy to switch so you can sit together. Step 6: If there really is nothing that can be done, relax. No matter how long your plane ride is, it won't last forever. Put on your eye mask and try to sleep, or bring a good book.
Edit: Do not do this if you are traveling with a large group. It is too much to try to rearrange the whole plane so all 10 of you can sit together. Two people, go for it. Three people, it's pushing it but you can try. Four people or more, no. Just no.
Be considerate. A lot of people are squeezed into a small space so there is likely to be tension in the recycled air. To appease this tension here are some things you can do: Don't kick the seat in front of you. Don't bang on or otherwise disrupt your tray, remember it is attached to the seat in front of you. Don't play loud music. Don't take off your smelly shoes.
Prepare for take-offs and landings. How many people have you seen who need to be reminded to put up their tray, bring their seat to a full, upright position and stow their belongings? They make the announcement over and over again! The flight attendants are just as tired of reminding you as you are of hearing about it.
Traveling with kids. Unfortunately, I have never done this nor do I have kids, so I don't have many suggestions to keep them calm and quiet. But I would suggest doing the same things I do to keep myself busy: bring (quiet) games or toys that will keep them entertained, have snacks they like handy and bring gum for when their ears start popping. Nothing is worse than a crying baby on a flight, but understand that sometimes there is nothing you can do. A baby will cry when it wants to cry. Remain calm and remember it will all be over soon, and you'll appreciate that understanding more if you ever end up being the one with the crying baby you can't quiet down.
There are more tips and suggestions on the Pinterest board for this post, especially for traveling with kids, because I am inept and inexperienced with that. And if you have any airplane etiquette questions or suggestions, leave them in the comments below! For example: What's your stance on sharing armrests? I usually give them both up to avoid any hassle.
Fun Fact: While we are on the subject of airplanes, Amelia Earhart's birthday is coming up on July 24 and exciting news about her disappearance surfaced last month. An employee at the New Zealand Air Force Museum recently discovered photographs that appear to have been taken on Gardner Island around the time Earhart is believed to have crashed there. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (or TIGHAR, which is coincidentally also located in Wilmington, DE where I live) is headed to New Zealand today to study the photographs and see if Earhart lived as a castaway on the island after the crash. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for new developments in this story.
Thanks for reading everyone! Come back next time!
-Sam
Dear reader, I don't want you to be "that guy," so I have compiled some rules you should follow when at the airport or specifically on the airplane. If everyone follows these rules, your flight will take off without a hitch, so feel free to share with any fellow travelers!
Get to the airport early. Two to three hours before your flight is ideal. You need to have time to get through check-in and security without trying to jump ahead of everyone else who did get there on time.
Bring all of your travel documents. This may surprise you, but our trip to Greece was delayed because a family actually showed up without everyone's passports. How did they think they were going to get anywhere? Our pilot didn't understand either, his announcement went something like, "So, some people tried to get on the plane without their passports? I'm just as confused as you are."
Get settled on the plane as quickly as possible. The more time you spend standing in the aisle trying to shove your oversized carry-on into the overhead compartment, the more time I have to wait to get to my seat, causing a traffic jam all the way to the front of the plane. And for that matter...
Don't take up all of the overhead space. I understand you are concerned about losing your luggage if you check it, I go through the same anxiety every trip. But that doesn't mean I try to bring a barely-regulation sized suitcase onto the plane with me and hope it will suddenly shrink when I try to put it away. If you are going to bring a carry-on, choose an appropriate size. Also, you will be surprised how much can fit under the seat in front of you, give it a shot.
Don't leave the overhead compartment open. This also happened during my last trip. Someone stood up to retrieve something from their bag and FORGOT TO CLOSE THE COMPARTMENT! I was anxious the entire ten minutes it took for a flight attendant to notice and close it. Haven't you heard that contents shift during the flight? Your bag could have fallen out and hit someone! I almost got up to close it myself and shake a disapproving finger.
Listen to the flight attendants. While you shouldn't blindly follow every direction given to you in life, on an airplane, you should. They want to get through the flight as smoothly as possible too, so do as they say and pay attention to that safety demonstration or video at the beginning of the flight. You never know when you will need that information.
Sit down and shut up. The longer you take getting settled, the longer we all have to wait to leave.
Don't make a scene. I went through a very stressful flight when a family that was flying on standby was upset that they weren't all sitting together. First of all, that is not how standby works. Second, the father was very rude to the flight attendants who were actually trying to help them. Here is what I would suggest otherwise, because my roommate and I went through a similar situation on our last trip. We booked our flight through Priceline instead of the airline and didn't realize until we got to the airport that we would not be sitting together. Step 1: If you did not choose your seats when booking the flight, I would suggest calling the airline ahead of time to check your seating arrangement days, weeks or even months before your flight leaves. I did not think to do this so I don't know if it works, but it's worth a shot. Step 2: If that does not work, ask at check-in if they can move your seats. We were told that the flight was full and they were not able to move us. However, sometimes as it gets closer to the flight, people drop out. Step 3: Wait a little while and ask again at the terminal check-in. This worked on our flight to Greece when several people had canceled and they were happy to change our boarding passes and seat us together. However, this was not the case on our flight home. Step 4: Once you are on the plane, and if there is not too much chaos happening, ask the person next to you if they wouldn't mind switching seats with your travel partner. The worst they can say is no, which the person to my left did say to me when I asked if he would switch with my roommate. But I was in the middle seat, and the person to my right who got on the plane a little later (and who was pretty cute and I almost didn't ask him, sorry Becky!) was fine with switching so Becky and I could sit together. Step 5: If all else fails, ask a flight attendant. They understand that some people have airplane anxiety and need to be next to someone they know. It may take some time because they have other priorities too, but be patient and chances are someone on the plane will be happy to switch so you can sit together. Step 6: If there really is nothing that can be done, relax. No matter how long your plane ride is, it won't last forever. Put on your eye mask and try to sleep, or bring a good book.
Edit: Do not do this if you are traveling with a large group. It is too much to try to rearrange the whole plane so all 10 of you can sit together. Two people, go for it. Three people, it's pushing it but you can try. Four people or more, no. Just no.
Be considerate. A lot of people are squeezed into a small space so there is likely to be tension in the recycled air. To appease this tension here are some things you can do: Don't kick the seat in front of you. Don't bang on or otherwise disrupt your tray, remember it is attached to the seat in front of you. Don't play loud music. Don't take off your smelly shoes.
Prepare for take-offs and landings. How many people have you seen who need to be reminded to put up their tray, bring their seat to a full, upright position and stow their belongings? They make the announcement over and over again! The flight attendants are just as tired of reminding you as you are of hearing about it.
Traveling with kids. Unfortunately, I have never done this nor do I have kids, so I don't have many suggestions to keep them calm and quiet. But I would suggest doing the same things I do to keep myself busy: bring (quiet) games or toys that will keep them entertained, have snacks they like handy and bring gum for when their ears start popping. Nothing is worse than a crying baby on a flight, but understand that sometimes there is nothing you can do. A baby will cry when it wants to cry. Remain calm and remember it will all be over soon, and you'll appreciate that understanding more if you ever end up being the one with the crying baby you can't quiet down.
There are more tips and suggestions on the Pinterest board for this post, especially for traveling with kids, because I am inept and inexperienced with that. And if you have any airplane etiquette questions or suggestions, leave them in the comments below! For example: What's your stance on sharing armrests? I usually give them both up to avoid any hassle.
Fun Fact: While we are on the subject of airplanes, Amelia Earhart's birthday is coming up on July 24 and exciting news about her disappearance surfaced last month. An employee at the New Zealand Air Force Museum recently discovered photographs that appear to have been taken on Gardner Island around the time Earhart is believed to have crashed there. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (or TIGHAR, which is coincidentally also located in Wilmington, DE where I live) is headed to New Zealand today to study the photographs and see if Earhart lived as a castaway on the island after the crash. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for new developments in this story.
Thanks for reading everyone! Come back next time!
-Sam
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it Smile I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
ReplyDeleteEtiquette On An Airplane