I read this article on how this pilot announced the unspoken rules of flying. It seems that his pitch was a big hit with the passengers. He talked about the rights of the middle seat as well as ruling on the seat reclining debate. That made me think about the unspoken rules of flying as well as what airline etiquette should be. Accordingly, this is my list. Feel free to disagree or supplement it.
The Gate and the Boarding
Etiquette begins before you even step foot on the aircraft. The boarding process is notorious for bringing out the worst in travelers. You have people waiting for their flights and hogging seats and jumping lines. It is never a good sign of things to come.
Wait For Your Zone: We now have people acting like Gate Lice. A quick definition, these are passengers who crowd the boarding lanes long before their group is called causing a backup and delay for everyone else. It seems that airlines do not have the appetite to deal with these people. There are a few ways either through the gate agents or some new technology.
People should wait until their boarding zones are called before trying to board a flight. We know that you may not lose overhead space for their carry-ons but this is a risk you need to take as a grown up.
The Overhead Bin: Talking about overhead bins. News for people, space in them is limited. If you board early, there will be available space and if you board towards the end, do not be surprised if there are limited bins available.
If there is space available, the rule is simple. Only place your largest bag in the luggage bin. All smaller items (like backpacks, purses, jackets, hats (there are some people who still wear them) and shopping bags) go under the seat in front of you. If there is room at the end of boarding in the luggage bins, you can place some of the smaller items in them but only after everyone else has had the opportunity to stow their carry-ons.
Seat Rules
After dealing with your luggage, you now need to know about the rules governing your seat. These rules apply to economy and comfort class passengers because different rules apply to first class passengers (as they normally do).
The Middle Seat: It is safe to say that the middle seat is the worst position on the plane since it typically has the least space or it appears to have that. You do not have a window to lean against and there is no aisle to lean into either. As a result of the lack of space, the middle seat gets both armrests. That means the window and aisle seats give up the control of these armrests. No discussion!
The Window Seat: If you’re in the window seat, you control the window shade. You are next to it and you get the benefit of deciding whether it will remain closed or open during the flight. Not too much controversy here unless you are dealing with a Karen.
The Aisle Seat: If you are seated in the aisle seat, you do not get much control but you get the most freedom especially for easy access to the bathroom and the rest of the plan. Also, you do get first offer on drinks and snacks by about 5 seconds.
Reclining Your Seat: This is a two-part rule. First, If the airline made the seat with the ability to recline then you have the absolute right to recline. This right is not given up if you have a passenger behind you that objects. The etiquette part of the reclining situation is that you should recline slowing to make sure you do not hit anything on tray behind you like a laptop
The second part of this rule is that during a meal, you should not recline fully to create issues with the passenger behind you. It is difficult to eat a meal when the person in front of you has fully reclined.
Listening to Devices: If you are listening to something then you need to use headphones. This rule applies whether you listening to music, a movie, talking on the phone, video game of any other activity. It is really distracting to other passengers to hear what you are listening to. I will go further and say that you should never have a call on speaker phone in public. I can not tell you how many times people have decided to include me in their conversations when I have no desire to be part of it!!
Keep Your Shoes (and Socks) On: The rule on this one, is that you need to keep your shoes and socks on during a flight. No one wants to smell your feet. This is not your personal space. Be considerate of others. As a word of advice, never go to the bathroom without shoes or worst-case scenario, socks. The floor in most of these bathrooms is just plain gross. You do not want to be in touch with the germs that live there.
Smelly Food: Do not bring on the plane food that has a strong aroma. A couple of classic foods to avoid include fish, egg salad, stinky cheeses, garlic dishes and spicy curries. This prohibition should also apply to heavy doses of perfume or cologne.
Deplaning
When the plane lands, try not to immediately stand up and take over the aisle. There are a whole bunch of things that need to happen before you can leave the plane and each of them require some time. Once you are at the gate, they need to attach the gate bridge, then passengers start to deplane by row. If you are seated in the 32nd row, that means that 31 rows ahead of you have to stand up, get their bags and then walk down the aisle. The right thing to do is to wait in your seat until a few rows ahead of you are moving to leave. Then you stand up get your bags and be ready for your turn.
It is a sad thing to have to write these unspoken rules. I think that it is necessary to our society not feeling obligated to follow standard etiquette rules which can be summarized with one quick thought: you should act with respect to your other passengers.