Essential airplane etiquette that passengers should always practice

Always remember that when you take a commercial flight, you share the aircraft with other passengers. Regardless of the fare you pay, you always have to put in mind that there are also other people around who have paid respective fares to be on the same aircraft as you are in. Hence, it is important that passengers always practice airplane etiquette. Not only is it for safety but it maintains the peace on board.

Recently, there have been passenger brawls caused by misbehavior and disrespect for one’s personal space. These brawls are unquestionably dangerous, and no airline wants such an incident to occur on board. As a result, proper airplane etiquette must be followed at all times.

These are the most important airplane etiquettes.

Bringing in hand carry luggage

1. Always weigh your hand carry luggage and stay within the weight limit. If you are physically capable, make sure you can carry them yourself. Flight attendants may assist you, but they are not required to store your luggage for you.
2. As you walk down the aisle in search of your seat, keep your bag in front of you and low to the ground. Holding it up and at your sides will inevitably land on the arms, shoulders, and heads of seated passengers. If it has wheels, you can pull it along.
3. Make use of the overhead space above your seat row. Place your bags in the overhead compartment at the front of the plane only if you are seated in that row. If you put your bag in a bin near the front of the plane to make a quick exit, someone else will have to wait until the plane has emptied before walking back to get their bag. Taking other passengers’ storage space is impolite and may cause a delay in departure as they look for storage.
4. Avoid monopolizing the aisle. Keep in mind that space on board is limited. Always be quick and alert when putting items in the overhead lockers, as others require aisle space to get around you and to their seat. Place frequently used items in your seat back pocket or under the seat in front of you.
5. When retrieving luggage from the overhead compartment, use caution! It could be positioned near you or another person. If you have a lot of bulky, heavy luggage in the overhead bin, wait until everyone else has left before standing and blocking other people from leaving the plane (they may have another flight to catch), or ask someone to help you get your luggage down while everyone else is waiting to leave. This will improve traffic flow and allow all passengers to exit the plane as quickly as possible.

Taking your seat

1. Maintain your chair’s upright position until you’re told it can be reclined. Do not lean back in your chair as soon as you sit down. If you do decide to recline your chair, do so slowly. Otherwise, you risk knocking over the drink on the tray of the unsuspecting passenger behind you who is getting something from the bag at their feet. Remember to return the seat to its upright position during meal and beverage servings, or, if possible, wait until food and beverages have been served and cleaned up.
2. Check behind you—is that person tall, or are they holding a child? If this is the case, consider keeping your seat upright, especially if the flight is short. By reclining, you take up space from the passenger behind you; you may be more comfortable, but at the expense of someone else. You can also ask them if reclining your seat is acceptable. If you can’t get comfortable without reclining, book an aisle, bulkhead, or exit row seat when booking your flight so the person behind you has more space.
3. If you’re tall/big or have a child on your lap and know that having the seat in front of you reclined will make you uncomfortable, choose a bulkhead or exit row seat (unless you have a child, in which case you should never choose an exit row seat). Not only will you have more space, but the person in front of you may choose not to recline their seat out of consideration for you. However, if you sit in the middle, the person in front of you will be cramped as well and will most likely want to recline their seat, whether you like it or not.
4. Keep an eye on any children with whom you are traveling. Throughout the flight, children have a tendency to bump, kick, or yank the seat in front of them without realizing it, which can make the person in front of them very uncomfortable. Controlling some children on a long flight is difficult enough, but dealing with an angry passenger in front of you is even more difficult.
   • If your child(ren) has difficulty flying, do everything you can to calm them down so that they do not disturb other passengers. Bring plenty of books, games, snacks, and other activities to keep your child quiet.
   • You can also try walking to the plane’s galley to stretch your child’s legs.
   • Change diapers in the plane’s restroom. Most restrooms have changing tables as well as trash cans for diaper disposal.
   • Use a drape when breastfeeding for your own privacy as well as the comfort of other passengers.
5. Avoid getting involved if a passenger violates etiquette by repeatedly thumping or yanking your seat back and refuses your polite request not to do so. Instead, ask a flight attendant to handle the situation, and if they can’t or won’t (which does happen), politely but firmly request that the chief flight attendant (purser) handle it.
6. Try not to grab the back of the seat in front of you. Grabbing the seat back as you walk down the aisle or row can be unsettling for the person sitting in it. Follow in the footsteps of the flight attendants, who balance themselves in the aisle by grabbing the luggage compartments above their heads rather than the seat backs.

Respecting your space and the space of others

1. Respect other people’s willingness to communicate. No matter how much you want to make new friends on the plane, the person next to you may prefer to get some work done or may simply not want to talk. If you get a minimal response to a friendly comment, take the hint and ignore them. If you’re traveling with children, try not to let them see other passengers as playmates. Some passengers will smile politely but may not want to play “peek a boo” with the child.
2. If you want to watch a movie on your mobile device, keep in mind that those behind you can see your screen. If your film contains nudity, graphic violence, or other inappropriate content, it may offend more sensitive viewers (such as children).
3. Take care of your elbows. Try not to let your elbows “spill over” onto someone else’s personal space if you’re reading a newspaper or using a laptop. Make an effort not to take up too much space on the arm rests, especially if the person next to you is in the middle and has limited space to begin with.
4. Keep your belongings close at hand. If you place a bag or a jacket at your feet, make sure it doesn’t spill over onto the legs or feet of the person sitting next to you.
5. Get your own books and don’t read theirs. They’ll notice, and it’s both nosy and impolite. If you’re stuck in an aisle seat and want to look out the window, don’t lean over the person next to you.
6. Bring headphones for your smartphone. Someone else’s music and sounds can be very annoying to some passengers.
7. Avoid getting drunk before (or during) the flight. You may be having the time of your life, but your fellow passengers may not think so (some airlines refuse to transport any passengers suspected of exceeding the alcohol limit). Furthermore, many passenger misbehaviors were caused by excessive alcohol consumption, for which they were arrested by airport police.

Moving inside the cabin

1. When exiting the plane, be mindful of other passengers. Refrain from pushing your way out first; let those closest to the exit disembark the plane first. When it’s your turn, move quickly so that people with connecting flights can arrive on time.
2. If you know you’ll need to connect, plan ahead of time and book your flight. This allows you to take a seat near the front and exit quickly.
3. Only get up to use the restroom or walk around when absolutely necessary. Examine your carry-on luggage at regular intervals. If you require something, plan ahead and retrieve items that you may require later in the flight.
4. When getting up, avoid yanking on the seat in front of you for support; instead, use the seat armrests. If you want to get up but there are one or more passengers between you and the aisle, politely ask them to get up so you can pass. Don’t try to climb over them; aside from the discomfort, you might injure yourself/them if you lose your balance and fall.

Finally, the crew and authorities regard even bomb jokes as serious threats to safety. If you make a bomb joke, you will not only be arrested, but you will also disrupt the plans of other passengers because the flight will be delayed and all luggage will be inspected. All passengers are also interrogated.

So remember to always practice these important airplane passenger etiquette to avoid any trouble with other passengers and of course the crew.

Attribution: https://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Airplane-Etiquette

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Mond Ortiz

First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!