Yes, I will be the first to tell you that there are unwritten rules about flying. There are also written rules about flying. All of these form a thing called “Flying Etiquette”. Yes, I know more rules. However, if we didn’t have rules we would all be savages. Some of the rules, if violated will land you in jail. Others, will just earn you scorn from flight crews or possibly other passengers. They are all pretty common sense and usually involve consideration of your fellow passengers while traveling on a private airline with a whole bunch of other members of the public. For some though, consideration has been thrown completely out the window. Let’s get to it.
Dress
No, there is not a dress code to fly on any airline that I am aware of. I remember back in the 60s, 70s and even into the late 1990s that people actually dressed to fly. I mean they dressed better than they would at home. Flying was a big deal and it was considered quite the experience. So, people dressed accordingly. Today, things seem to have shifted a bit too far in the other direction. Nowadays, you will see people getting on planes in their pajamas as if the plane is somehow an extension of their home. These are grown adults I am talking about. Wearing pajamas, holding stuffed animals, haven’t brushed their hair and probably haven’t brushed their teeth either. They might be wearing fuzzy slippers or just socks. If they are seated with an empty seat or row of seats near them, they will usually lie across all of them and then wonder why they went slamming into the overhead bins during turbulence. Then they will get up and walk in their bare feet or stocking feet to the disgusting bathroom floor. Then go back to their seats and put their feet on the seats next to other passengers, E-Coli and all. This is a bit extreme, I will admit, but I have seen it many times. Just at least dress as nice as a delivery driver and show respect for your fellow passengers.
Speaking of disgusting feet. KEEP YOUR SHOES ON. This is not your living room and the other people on the plane do not want to smell your shoes or feet. I can’t tell you how many people I have seen people cut their toe nails on a flight. Yeah, don’t do that.
Keep your seatbelt on if you are not leaving your seat. Turbulence can hit at any time and no, the pilots cannot always anticipate it or warn you in time. Those seatbelts are there for a reason.
Use earbuds or headphones. Nobody and I do mean nobody, wants to hear your music, tv show or recording of your cat screaming as you tickle him. Lots of people on the plane want to read, rest or talk to their partner. That’s a little hard to do when you are forcing people to be in a world they don’t want to be in……yours.
If you have children with you, keep them under control and in their seatbelts. You will not be able to stop them from flying in the air with those arms. You might as well be trying to strap them down with wet noodles. No running around the plane, no rocking the seats of other passengers and definitely no screaming. Don’t get me wrong. I see many children on flights that behave perfectly fine, but there are some that should not be in a flying cigar that is going over 500 mph with no way out. Kids behaviors for the most part are learned behaviors and a direct result of the parents ability to parent whether good or bad. That’s why the parents may get the look from other passengers. Just sayin’.
Clean up after yourself. Leaving pretzel bags, drink cups, wrappers or chips all over the seats and floor is a sign that you may not be ready to be in public yet.
If someone needs to get past you to get out of their seat and go the the bathroom, please get out of their way. It is not an ego contest to see who can put their will against another’s to see who is right and who is wrong. Courtesy goes a long way.
Drink responsibly. I don’t know what it is about flying that makes people want to get drunk. Do they feel like they are some kind of celebrity and need to “live it up”? Especially, don’t drink if you are any type of mood altering or pain med. This tends to react very badly on an airplane and you can see the countless stories on the news of people being escorted off of planes for one bad choice to have that drink while on Adderall or Ambien.
When the plane lands, DO NOT jump up out of your seat the moment the seatbelt signs go off and the engines start to shutdown. You aren’t going anywhere until that jetway is brought to the door of the aircraft and the flight attendant is sure it’s safe to open the door. Even then, unless you are in first or business class, you will be waiting for the countless amount of people who take forever to get their bags from the overhead bin and then have to adjust their shirts, blouses and skirts, juggle their water bottles, neck pillows, books and their kids, make sure they grabbed the right bag all before taking their first steps toward the door. Then if you have a connecting flight, you can go get in line at the next gate to start from step 1 again.
Flying is hectic enough without inconsiderate people. TSA is a hassle, the overpriced coffee is well, overpriced. There are never enough seats at the gate and they just changed gates for your plane a third time within the last hour. If you are considerate to others, you will find that even in an airport, people will be considerate right back. They are just waiting for someone else to be the first one.