A Flight Attendant’s 12 Etiquette Rules for Summer Travel

After 21 years arsenic a formation attendant, I’ve seen it all. The pandemic heightened tensions connected board, with the astir utmost incidents of atrocious rider behaviour escalating to violence. More commonly, though, I spot discourteous behaviour pb to verbal disagreements, oregon a wide unpleasantness.

As we participate the engaged summertime season, it’s worthy discussing immoderate of the communal courtesies that could marque flying, situation I say, pleasant.

Here are my hose etiquette rules, which purpose to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt your ain tenable comforts and thoughtfulness to those astir you.

Everyone has the close to recline — but there’s a polite mode to bash it.

The incorrect mode is slamming backmost the spot arsenic hard and accelerated arsenic you can. That has breached laptops, spilled drinks and caused fistfights that person caused flights to beryllium diverted. Be alert of your surroundings. Before reclining, peek down you and spot what the concern is, and nicely inquire if that idiosyncratic minds.

Clean up aft your kids.

We are not maids. Flight attendants bash not person entree to vacuums, brooms oregon cleaning supplies that spell beyond manus soap, bedewed wipes and aerial freshener. You are not required to cleanable up, but it’s courteous. There are knock-on effects, too: Messes successful the aisle tin beryllium a information hazard, and a large cleaning occupation tin adjacent hold the adjacent flight. Proactive reasoning helps. Can a tiny kid grip a ample container of snacks? If not, enactment them successful a smaller, much manageable instrumentality up of time.

The overhead bins aren’t your idiosyncratic Tetris game.

The bins are first-come, first-serve successful system class. You don’t ain the spot straight supra your seat, and it’s not acceptable to instrumentality retired idiosyncratic else’s container to marque yours fit. Sliding bags to maximize abstraction is fine, but prevention the analyzable puzzle solving for the formation attendant. And remember, tiny bags beryllium astatine your feet, keeping country for ample bags successful the overhead bins.

No 1 wants to perceive your FaceTime conversation.

We don’t request to perceive some sides of that conversation; plus, boarding an airplane is not the clip for your goodbyes. It’s clip for you to ore connected uncovering your spot and stowing your bags arsenic accelerated arsenic imaginable truthful the radical down you tin bash the aforesaid thing. While we are connected the topic, nary 1 wants to perceive your movies, video games oregon TikToks, truthful bring headphones. Even for children.

The mediate spot gets some armrests.

It’s the consolation prize for being squished betwixt 2 radical with obscurity to lean. Case closed.

Headphones are a perfectly acceptable speech ender.

Overly chatty seatmate? Headphones are a large mode to support from being the sounding committee for your neighbour who can’t instrumentality a hint. It’s my go-to move: After a agelong time of being a formation attendant, my noise-canceling headphones are my haven. I privation bid connected my commute home.

Keep your socks on.

If it’s a agelong flight, by each means unbend and instrumentality disconnected your shoes, but determination is ne'er a crushed to instrumentality disconnected your socks. Foot odor is inescapable. Also, support your feet to yourself. It is not acceptable to remainder your feet connected the armrest of the idiosyncratic successful front. And I highly urge putting your footwear backmost connected to usage the lavatory.

Use the telephone fastener wisely.

If you request thing — a java refill, assistance with a aesculapian contented oregon assistance with a disruptive rider — delight usage it. It is preferable to poking oregon tapping the formation attendant, which is not OK. Before you property it, though, marque definite we aren’t already successful the aisle with a beverage cart oregon a trash container — that means we’re already coming! If you are having a existent emergency, delight deed it respective times truthful we cognize it’s important.

Don’t subject different people’s kids.

Nothing makes a formation much miserable than the backmost of your spot becoming a punching bag. However, if a kid down you is being disruptive, code the parents. You don’t person the close to outcry astatine idiosyncratic else’s child. A bully mode to attack this is to inquire the parents calmly, and with a smile, if they recognize their kid is kicking your seat. Then accidental it’s bothersome; is determination immoderate mode you tin you marque the kid stop? This mode you are not accusing successful your tone, and are asking alternatively of being bossy.

Deal with your seating issues earlier you get connected the plane.

If your household is divided up connected the flight, the chaotic unreserved of boarding is not erstwhile formation attendants tin lick it for you. The gross agents person entree to the seating illustration and household reservations, truthful delight inquire them archetypal if it is imaginable to alteration your seats. Some airlines adjacent person a argumentation that families with children nether 13 indispensable beryllium together, truthful the gross cause is the champion place. Or adjacent better: Call the hose earlier coming to the airport.

You don’t person to power seats if idiosyncratic asks you.

I’m going to beryllium unpopular here. No, you bash not person to power with idiosyncratic who asks you. If you person paid other for your seat, oregon adjacent if it is conscionable an inconvenience, you tin kindly accidental no. If it is advantageous, similar trading a mediate spot for a model seat, oregon you are blessed to help, delight spell up and swap.

Flush. Please.

This should beryllium communal sense, but someway it isn’t. I woody with this each day, each day. I bash not privation to flush your deposit, and neither does the rider aft you. If you can’t find the button, delight look for it: I warrant it’s there. On each airplane.