Frequent Fliers Are Sharing "Unspoken Rules" Of Air Travel They Believe Everyone Should Follow
Since air travel can garner a lot of stress, there are some ways to make the experience more enjoyable. So when Reddit user u/ChickenTensity asked, "What is an unspoken rule of air travel?" I thought it would be helpful to provide these suggestions — and, in some cases, the opinions of those who may disagree, to provide another point of view. Here's what they had to say.
Disney / Fox / Via giphy.com
1."Don’t put your bare feet on someone else’s seat."
2."Long-haired people: Do not put your hair over your seat so that the TV for the guy behind you is covered."
"Even if there is not a TV, keep your hair in your own space."
3."Don’t clog the area in front of the gate if your section hasn’t been called yet."
Hanna-Barbera / Via giphy.com
"'Gate lice.' Infuriating."
"In fact, if your section is a long way from being called, don't even stand up if you don't have to. Stay comfy and seated in the seating area until it's closer. Once you stand up, it spooks everyone else into standing up and starts a whole thing even when it's nobody's turn to go yet except the pre-boarding people, like people with disabilities or parents with little kids."
4."No matter the line size behind you, always give the person in front of you the opportunity to exit first."
Opposing viewpoint: "The exception I've seen is when we're delayed and a few people have tight connections. The flight crew announces them, and then you should let them go first. I haven't seen the last part actually happen, which makes me sad."
5."Middle seat gets both armrests."
Opposing viewpoint: "Why this? I would think it would make the most sense for everyone to get one armrest to lean on. Everyone gets the armrest closest to the aisle."
"No. Everyone leans toward the window. Otherwise, aisle loses an elbow."
"Aisle gets to go pee whenever they need to, though. It's a luxury seat. :)"
6."Headphones."
NBC / Via giphy.com
"A rule that seems to be followed by most civilized people, except the child with their iPad two rows behind you."
7."Don't wallow in cologne before boarding."
"Or smoke too many cigarettes before a flight. I’m a smoker myself, and I know how bad it can smell for nonsmokers."
8."Treat the stewards with tons of respect. Remember to stretch on long-haul flights (I learned this on a 17-hour flight the hard way). Know what you want from the snack cart."
"The airline staff have SO much power to make your flight better or worse. Don’t piss them off.
I flew recently, and my flight attendant asked why I seemed so sad (I’d clearly been crying), and I said, 'Oh, I’m leaving my husband and moving home without him.' The dude was amazing. He brought me extra wine, a business class amenity kit, extra snacks, and tissues and stood and chatted with me through parts of the flight.
I emailed a commendation to his company because all that is just so over and above what I ever could have expected; it was amazing."
9."Don’t have full-volume conversations (or any conversation) on a red-eye flight."
NBC / Via giphy.com
"To add to that, especially if the person is legit not sitting directly beside you. I had a flight from the East Coast to Vegas a few years back, it was about four hours, and I had to listen to two people behind me, who were across aisles and in different rows, have a full-on conversation about everything under the sun. Judging by the conversation, they weren't even familiar with each other — probably just met in the waiting area."
10."Don't clap when the plane lands."
Opposing viewpoint: "Unless it was one hell of a landing. I've been on a flight where the last couple of hours were severely turbulent, and because of crosswinds, the landing was rough.
Yeah, we applauded without shame."
11."You're never obligated to yield your seat to someone because they want to sit next to another person. They didn't plan accordingly — not your problem."
Opposing viewpoint: "Good lord. Surely you know, if you fly frequently at all, that you can plan months ahead and the airline can make last-minute changes that affect your seat. Of course, you aren’t obligated, but damn, can we care about each other a little?"
12."You can stand up as soon as it’s allowed. It seems to be a thing for people who don’t fly that often to think that people who stand up directly are less experienced than you: 'Look at this noob standing up; you’re not getting off earlier. I bet he never flies!' While, in fact, we do fly often. I might have flown 15 hours in an economy seat before this two-hour flight, and I can’t stand to sit a second more than I have to."
Opposing viewpoint: "Go right on ahead and stand there with your head cocked if you like. I don't think anyone has an issue with that. But if you step into and occupy the aisle space of the row in front of you, you're an asshole."
13."When the flight attendant asks you to do something, they’re not actually asking. They’re telling you nicely. And when they request something from you, that is the rule of law on that plane and you will obey."
14."Don't be chill when your kid is kicking the seat in front of them."
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15."Don't stick your arm down the airplane toilet just to see where it's all going."
"Especially on some smaller regional type of aircraft. It's a glorified porta-potty; it doesn't go anywhere. You're sitting on a bowl bolted to the top of the storage tank."
16."Just because your seat reclines doesn’t mean you should do it."
Opposing viewpoint: "I had a guy recline on a 40-minute flight last week. If it's over three hours, I agree, but short hops, no."
Opposing viewpoint: "I recline my seat every flight, and I refuse to stop. If it bothers you so much, you can book a seat behind the exit-row seats that don't recline."
17."Think before going through TSA. Don’t wear lace-up boots or all the jewelry in the world, bring multiple computers, and forget about your liquor and food. We shouldn't have to wait while you clog up the line to undress. Wear sweats, a sweatshirt, and slip-ons. And if you have any type of cough at all, just put on a damn mask so the whole airplane doesn’t get sick on their vacation."
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"This happened to me last week. Lady behind me in the TSA line looked like she’d been crying, so I asked if she was OK. She had the flu."
18."Your backpack goes under the seat, not in the overhead bin."
Opposing viewpoint: "Meh. If I *only* bring on a backpack and check my big bag, and you bring a large carry-on, then it's really not my problem. Either buy a ticket that gets you on the plane earlier or gate-check your bag and wait with me at the baggage claim.
"If I bring a backpack and put it under my seat, I lose that legroom. If you only bring a selfishly large bag, then you don't have anything under your seat and you get legroom just because you were more selfish. If everyone only brought backpacks, then everything would fit in the overhead."
19."If someone is struggling to put their carry-on in the overhead, help them. Don’t be condescending and watch them struggle. I speak from experience. I’m short and struggled to put my carry-on in the overhead, and the couple sitting next to me just watched me struggle and said, 'You can do it.' The dude sitting across from us got up to help me."
20."Be patient with the parents if a toddler is freaking out. Trust me, we’re a hundred times more stressed about it than you. Except for shitty parents, I guess."
21."Leave the person next to you alone. Unless they're about to fucking die, do not bother them."
HBO / Via giphy.com
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
