Regular Travelers Are Sharing Flight Etiquette Mistakes To Avoid When Next You Fly And Here 40 Of The Most Common Ones

These tips will foster smoother, more enjoyable journeys for us all

Maryjane

• Published in Interesting
• November 5, 2023

There are some extremely clever ways to make air travel a little more enjoyable for everyone involved, especially with the travel season almost here. It entails abiding by a few fundamental norms of polite behavior, which many people seem to have forgotten based on dramatic stories posted across a range of channels.

Traveling by air requires a particular level of etiquette, which should be followed at all times to ensure a safe and enjoyable flight. The staff go over everything, including how to pass security and whether or not to recline your seat, as well as how to exit the aircraft quickly and courteously. 

Traveling by plane, a unique means of transportation that connects people all over the world, entails much more than just getting on and waiting for the plane to land. It calls for a careful balancing act between passengers' consideration and mutual understanding.

Platform user u/ChickenTensity recently explored the regulations governing aviation etiquette in a thought-provoking post on r/AskReddit. He invited frequent flyers and passengers to contribute the unwritten guidelines they think everyone should be aware of.

We can only hope that the information they have provided will make everyone's travels easier and more enjoyable.

OP asks...

1. "Long hair people - do not put them over your seat so the tv of behind-guy is covered"

2. Tight connection

3. Stand back

4. "Wash yourself before the flight."

5. "Don't grab the back of my seat to help your a*s stand up, and ESPECIALLY don't grab my hair when you do it. I don't need to be woken up by you yanking my head back and pulling out my hair, too."

6. First flight

7. "As a pilot, my unspoken rule is to actually land the plane lol"

8. "Wear comfortable clothes!"

9. Being loud

10. "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."

11. "Chew gum before the plane takes off. Stops your ears from popping."

12. "Don't clap when the plane lands."

13. "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 people who stand up directly are less experienced than you.

”Look at this noob standing up, you’re not getting off earlier, lol, bet he never flies!”

While in fact, we who do fly often, don’t care. I might have 15h in a economy seat before this 2h flight we’ve been on and can’t stand to sit a second more than I have to.

14. "If someone is struggling to put their carry on in the overhead, help them. "

Don’t be condescending and 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).

15. "Think before going through TSA. Don’t wear lace up boots, all the jewelry in the world, bring multiple computers, forget about your liquors and food. We don’t have to wait while you clog up the line to undress. Wear sweats, a sweatshirt and slip ons."

16. "Treat the Stewards with tons of respect."

Remember to stretch on long haul flights (learned this on a 17 hour flight the hard way)

Know what you want from the snack cart

17. "Take your full sized luggage on as carry-on. Take up all the over head bin space and when asked to gate check your s**t, refuse. Do this and you will fit right in"

18. "Your f*****g backpack goes under the seat, not in the overhead bin, you selfish twat."

19. Another one

20. So many to list...

Headphones. Nobody wants to hear your music or your conversations.

Wear shoes, this isn’t your living room.

If you’re in zone 5, don’t block the boarding area when they are boarding zone 1.

Move with a purpose. Don’t meander walking through the terminal.

Just because your seat reclines doesn’t mean you should do it.

21. "H E A D P H O N E S"

22. Private jet

23. "Middle seat gets both armrests."

24. Defense time

25. "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."

26. "You don't ask someone to trade your middle seat for their aisle/window seat"

27. No hitting

28. "Don't be chill when your kids are kicking the seat in front of them..."

ETA: If you have an aisle seat and the person in the middle or window seat needs to use the restroom, well, sucks to be you, you have to get up. Please, dear men, don't suggest that the female stranger next to you could crawl over your lap because you're too lazy to move.

29. "Don’t clog in front of the gate if your section hasn’t been called yet"

30. "If you're morbidly obese, you need to buy 2 seats. Sorry not sorry"

31. "Don’t put your bare feet on someone else’s seat."

32. "No matter the line size behind you, you always give the person in front of you the opportunity to exit first."

33. Starting a fight

34. "Don't eat stinky f*****g food on a plane. "

You want to eat eggs or egg sandwich or tuna with onion sandwiches? Go ahead to your hearts content on land or when you are home or at your vacation destination. In the plane you eat the least stinky food though. I'm not smelling egg fart smell half the ride or tuna breath. Planes are neutral smell only zone as much as possible. Stick with granola bars or the food they serve you on the plane.

35. "Don’t have full volume conversations (or any conversation) on a red eye flight."

36. "Leave the person next to you alone. Unless they're about to f*****g die, do not bother them."

37. Making out

38. "Be patient with the parents if a toddler is freaking out. Trust me, we’re 100X more stressed about it than you. Except for s****y parents I guess"

39. "Don't stick your arm down the airplane toilet just to see where it's all going."

40. "Don't wallow in cologne before boarding."

An increasing number of people are flying domestically every day due to the low cost of domestic travel and the growing expense of foreign travel. When traveling by air in a nation as vast and varied as any other country, there are a few things to keep in mind, which this post has done justice to.

Leave your thoughts below and share this post to enlighten others as well.

Maryjane