Summer is the busiest time for travelers across the globe. They are eager to get to their destinations, potentially leading to some unpleasant interactions. These days, a fear of flying can be caused simply by anxiety about what might happen during your flight, whether that's encountering a sick passenger, losing your luggage, being surrounded by intoxicated seatmates, fighting with flight attendants, or encountering the dreaded seat-kicker.
There are many people losing their manners on planes. Here are some basic plane etiquette guidelines to at least ensure that you are not the problem on your next flight.
1. Pay Attention
Being aware of your surroundings can help speed up the security and boarding process. Put down your phone, and stay alert so the security lines and boarding areas keep moving. This also means knowing when to chug your water bottle before security and taking out all electronic devices and liquids.
2. Know What Not to Do
In confined spaces, any irritant to the senses can spiral quickly into chaos. Smells are a huge cause for commotion.
If the flight occurs during a mealtime considering adjusting to eat prior or post flight or bring food that is low on the odor scale. A juicy fast food burger and fries can seem enticing to you, but smelly food, even the delicious kind is rarely enjoyed by your fellow passengers. Bringing odorless foods won’t cause people to roll their eyes or worse gag around you.
Don’t be chatty to an unwilling listener. Pay attention to cues like monosyllabic responses or never asking any questions in return. And if your seatmate puts their headphones on, don't take it personally, it can be an opportunity to you to get in some reading or catch a movie on the in-flight entertainment system. If you have an early morning or late night flight, try to be considerate of talking and noise to those who may want to sleep.
3. Seat Savvy
As seats get smaller, it's easy to feel territorial and to even try to claim just a bit more. But remember that everyone else on the plane probably feels the same, and doesn't need you encroaching.
On airlines with open seating policies, it may not always be practical to save seats for you or your travel buddies. Families with young children should be seated together. And if flight attendants ask you to move to accommodate a family or passenger with specific needs, try to be considerate. Flying as a family? Always try to keep the kids close. Sit next to kids under the age of 10 to keep an eye.
4. Hygiene is Huge
Being clean for a flight is an underrated but polite service to your fellow passengers. But hygiene should be done before a flight, not during. Clipping your nails on the tray table in front of you is not acceptable. Your seat is not your personal salon chair.
Be courteous of time spent in the lavatory. When you will have to get up from a middle or window seat, consider your seatmates and try to plan around meal service and sleeping. Get up and stretch your legs and use the restroom when it's not a hassle to everyone around you.
5. Be Rational
There is no worse place to get in a fight on an airplane. Even in a bad situation, it's important to try to remain calm and rational.
If there's an incident during your flight, first stay calm. Second keep out of it if you can, and let the flight crew handle the situation. Whether it’s an argument or physical altercation, the first answer is not to record the moment. And because it apparently needs to be said, don’t have sex or perform any sexual acts while in the air.