25 Sep Travel Etiquette: Make Flying Better for Everyone

Want to know something weird about flying? In a recent poll, passengers were asked about their top air-travel complaints. I’m sure you’re thinking delayed flights, long TSA lines, lost luggage, and inconsiderate airline employees, right?

Well, you would be wrong.

The most cited complaint from travelers is the rudeness of fellow travelers.

As prices for air travel continue to drop more people are taking to the skies for a chance to see the Eiffel Tower, gaze out at the Grand Canyon, and take a bite out of the Big Apple. 

What all of these travelers need when they’re tired, cranky, and haven’t laid flat for 26 hours is for everyone to be on their best behavior. And, when personal space is a luxury like it is when traveling, help a fellow traveler out and consider the following 12 Dos and Don’ts of Travel Etiquette.

Use the comment section below to tell me some of your traveling pet peeves!

Travel Etiquette Tip #1: Don’t infringe on other people’s space. 

Simply put, don’t man spread. Your fellow traveler bought their seat which comes with the legroom in front of them. Your balls will be fine if you keep your legs in your own space. 

Travel Etiquette Tip #2: Don’t take the middle seat’s armrest. 

The middle seat gets both armrests. Period. Even if they aren’t using them. It sucks to be in the middle seat; every move you make is in someone else’s space. Cut the middle seat person a break and leave them the armrest. 

Extra tidbit: 74% of passengers agree that the best travel etiquette is letting the person sitting in the middle get both armrests (and the other 26% are sociopaths). So why are we still fighting?

Extra extra tidbit: Or you could just bring this armrest divider along …

Travel Etiquette Tip #3: Don’t invade fellow passengers’ nostrils.

I’ve literally had someone smell so strongly of body odor (pits and privates) that it brought tears to my eyes and made me wonder if I could catch something from the smell. (Not to mention that she scratched herself — under the blanket and inside her pants — multiple times.) Please take a really good shower and slap on some extra deodorant before you invade your fellow travelers’ space with your noxious odors. 

Smell patrol goes equally for “good” scents. Perfume, cologne, lotion, aftershave, or anything else with scent should be used lightly or not at all. You make think your Bath & Body lotion and body spray is the greatest, but please don’t use it on the flight. Wait until you land and then slather yourself.

Extra credit: Do not take your shoes and socks off. In polls, passengers overwhelming do not seem to mind shoes coming off, but draw the line at seeing your little piggies wiggling freely.

Tip #4: Do keep a hold of your carry-on bag.

As you make your way to your seat, hold your carry-on bag directly in front of you. Travelers already settled into their aisle seat will appreciate that you didn’t assault them with your carelessly draped bag. 

Tip #5: Don’t talk too loud.

Nobody wants to hear your conversations. Be conscious of how loud you are, especially when the lights are dimmed on the flight and people are trying to sleep.

Tip #6: Don’t listen too loud.

Never listen to your music, phone calls (this includes FaceTime, y’all), podcasts, movies, cat videos, etc without headphones on. If you forgot your headphones, tough luck. Also, the same goes for you if you have your shiz up so loud that the people around you can hear it through your headphones.

Tip #7: Don’t take too long to get settled into your seat.

I get it. It’s a long flight and you brought more accouterment and diversions than the people who settled the American West on the Oregon Trail. But please move out of the aisle so that your fellow passengers can get by and get settled into their seats.

Tip #8: Don’t use the seat in front of you as a toy.

Just pretend that the seat in front of you doesn’t exist. Don’t kick it. In fact, you really don’t even need to touch it. That seat exists as a remote control for you (if there’s onboard entertainment). You don’t need to constantly get something out of the seatback pocket or open and close your tray table. And, for the love, please don’t use the seat in front of you to get up. That’s what your abs (and armrests) are for.

Tip #9: Do wait your turn. 

Unless you’re about to miss your connection, sit down. Keep it orderly, exiting row-by-row, and everyone will get off the plane.

Tip #10: Don’t stand too close to the luggage carousel. 

Y’all this is seriously one of the most annoying things to me! I mean, every airport I’ve been to has marks that let you know where you should stand. In fact, Japan has an employee who’s job it is to tell people to step back and behave.

For some reason I will never understand, people feel the need to crowd around the belt. I’ve even tried to be a good example by standing back, but then people just stand in front of me — like I’m not also looking for a bag! Because you know, what really gets me excited is just hanging around airports and watching luggage ride around. I get so much joy out of it….

Take away: Standing right on top of the carousel simply won’t help your luggage come out any faster and you’re just in the way. Stand back unless you see your bag heading towards you. Then, like a person with some sense, step forward as your bag approaches. 

Tip #11: Don’t stop at the end of a moving walkway or escalator.

This isn’t just travel etiquette, it’s simply dangerous. If you don’t know where you’re going when you reach the end of the escalator or moving walkway, step aside and let the rest of us who do continue on our way. By the way, I’m also annoyed by people who bogart the left side. If you’re not moving, step aside. Walk on the left. Stand on the right.

Tip #12: Do be a conscientious parent. 

I feel terrible for parents traveling with small children. There’s not a lot they can do, so be patient with the kiddos and the parents. However, if you’re a parent with your kids in tow, please:

• Keep a watch out for your kids’ arms and legs. Make sure they are kept to themselves. I’ve had my seat repeatedly kicked over the course of hours (even when I’ve politely asked the parents to have their child stop). That’s not okay. (See above.)
• Diapers should be kept ultra clean. The last thing anyone wants to smell on a flight is a kiddo’s dirty bum. And yes, poo’splosions have happened on several flights for us. One lady actually changed her kid’s poopy diaper on the cloth seats next to us. Can you even imagine the smell trapped on board with all the recycled air? It was ferocious. I think I could have gotten pink eye just from being in the vicinity.

BONUS: A “do” for anyone working on an airplane on in an airport. Practice servant leadership. 

Airline and airport service jobs can be soulless and hard. For airline employees specifically, no one is happy to see them because, if everything had gone right, they wouldn’t need to have that interaction. 

But please have a heart and try on the travelers’ shoes. Their hard-earned, limited vacation is being waylaid by whatever crisis is happening. They are tired and probably haven’t slept or eaten anything decent in awhile. So cut them a break and kill ‘em with kindness. Shoot, travelers will probably be so taken aback that they won’t even be mean!