Unspoken Airplane Rules and Courtesy
I am not proud of the fact that I fly so much. When I can, which ends up being most of my trips, I try to stay on the ground for as long as my free visas allow. However, I have what seems like a collective number of days on airplanes and in airports. I have done it all.
Best experience: Upgraded to business class on Qantas, flying from Sydney to Los Angeles direct
The second best experience was sitting in between a super sweet older couple from San Francisco traveling to Singapore, showing them around, and now having some friends in wine country in Northern California. I switched to the window seat.
Longest transit: 54 hours traveling from Mozambique back to Sydney
Worst experience: Flying from Nepal to Kuala Lumpur with a plane full of mostly first-time flyers who had no idea how to use the bathroom. The entire flight smelled like a public bus terminal toilet.
Second worst experience: Sitting in between two very smelly people who were clearly married who kept passing things across me and over me who refused to switch seats with me.
These are some unspoken rules that people should consider. All it takes is to follow the Golden Rule: treat others how you would like to be treated.
Airplane Courtesy
Make it easy for the flight crew, they are onboard for safety not as your butlers.
Take your earphones/earbuds off for takeoff and landing, or do a really good job hiding them from the crew. Imagine having to repeat yourself 100 times per flight even though the instructions were on the overhead announcements.
Do not put trash in the seat pocket or on the floor; hand it over to them directly. Imagine having to clean disgusting used tissues out of the pocket or how much your back would hurt after leaning down every aisle to pick up trash off the floor.
Personal hygiene:
If you have smelly feet, do not take your shoes off.
Before the flight, go wash them in the bathroom and just wear sandals onboard.
If you are a smelly person, do what you need to do to smell fresh
This goes for “good” smelling people as much as bad smelling perfume smells should not be wafting off of you when you move
If you are sick, wear a mask.
Respect the small space you have. We have all been on the receiving end of this, and the only way to prevent this from happening is to take the lead and say something directly when it does.
Do not put your knees on the seat in front of you
Your feet belong on the floor and nowhere else
Always look behind you before you lower your seatback.
Lower your seatback slowly.
If you are on the aisle or window seat, you have more space; the middle armrests are for the middle-seat people
Do not bring more carry-on luggage than what is allowed; just pay for the check-in.
Do not be that person who rushes to the aisle the second the plane is at the gate.
It only makes sense that the order of disembarkation is numerically row by row and then alphabetically. Let’s all practice patience.
Pay for a seat closer to the exit if you are so important and need to rush off to your important meeting with important people.
