Airplane Etiquette

I was on MSN travel last night reading a series of topics about airplane etiquette.

The three hot buttons were

Should cell phones be allowed on airplanes?
Do you check your luggage or carry on?
Should obese airline passengers pay more?

A while back I was traveling a couple times a week for work. I quickly learned how to block out or avoid most of the pitfalls.

Out of the three topics I was pleasantly surprised at how many people would rather not have cell phones allowed on planes. I've always found it relaxing to disconnect from my cell phone for a few hours.

Airplane Etiquette

i dont mind some of the items above except for unnecessary luggage people take on and take all the cabinets above.

i dont mind crying babies as well, because what can they do? i try to put myself in the parents' shoes.

but what i dont like is when you sit in an aisle seat and the guy next to you has to constantly get up and go somewhere (not to the bathroom always) i mean, last time this guy for a 4 hour trip got up and i had to get up from my seat to let him by about 12 times.

Eh, planes suck (coach anyway). I don't think you can force "etiquette" when you bought it for $180.00 from a website pitched by William Shatner just to save a few bucks.

What can you do other than make $300k a year and start flying first class?

The guy beside you sleeping has the worst, and most obnoxious snore.

I'd enjoy having emails, but not cell phones. But then again, I don't just call people up to socialize, so my personal use of the cell phone would be purely utilitarian.

I always, unless its a long trip, carry-on.

One of my pet peeves is when people cut in front of everyone when exiting the plane. IT should be done by row, not by who can get to the aisle first.

another HUGE pet peeve of mine is when people congregate in the aisles to chit-chat with their friends. Their friends are sitting, they're standing in the aisles being obnoxious and chatting about bullshit. They are often loud and their position of standing and talking is often rude to those around them.

Originally Posted by hadamulletonce

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Should cell phones be allowed on airplanes?
Do you check your luggage or carry on?
Should obese airline passengers pay more?

Airplane Etiquette

I fly at least once a month. This year it's been closer to twice a month. A long time ago (I'd say about 9/12/01) it went from being fun to being Steve Martin in "Planes Trains and Automobiles".

I'm don't have a particular problem with cell phones but it wouldn't bother me if talking on them was forbidden once you're on the plane. BTW, you can rest assured that having any kind of electronic device on during takeoff and landing doesn't matter a damn, otherwise you wouldn't be allowed to carry it on in the first place. If they won't let you bring on a nail clipper, do you think they'd let you bring on something that could potentially screw up their navigation system or whatever the issue is supposed to be? {end of rant}

I always carry on my luggage unless the trip is so long that a carry on bag won't hold what I need to bring. Too much risk of it getting lost and too much time waiting around to check it and retrieve it. Time is more valuable than money at this stage of my life.

I think a good compromise is to make anyone who can't fit into a seat with the armrest down pay extra, but let them have the seat next to them be empty. They've paid for it and no one wants to sit there anyway.

My pet peeve is armrest hogs. Get it straight, people. If you're in the aisle seat, you get the armrest on the aisle side. If you're in the window, you get the armrest on the window side. The guy in the middle gets both. {end of second rant}

Should cell phones be allowed on airplanes?
Yes. Airplanes are a mode of transportation. If they are allowed on long bus rides, car rides and train rides, they should be allowed on Airplanes. Wear headphones or earplugs (nice ones, not the **** airlines hand out) if cell phone conversations are so terrible.
Do you check your luggage or carry on?
I always carry on when I can, of course. However, when I get the chance and if I'm not travelling to a 3rd world country I will like to try the mail.
Should obese airline passengers pay more?
If you can't fit in one-seat w/o spillover onto someone else's personal space, then you pay for the extra seat. I have no idea how an airline would handle this though. But if they can move you to section with a free seat near it then they let you use it for free.

Originally Posted by hadamulletonce

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Should cell phones be allowed on airplanes? Do you check your luggage or carry on? Should obese airline passengers pay more?
Maybe they'll take a cue from the old days when the planes had a smoking section. When buying your ticket, you'll be asked cell phone or non cell phone section? Of course, to sit in the cell phone section will be a "nominal" $25 charge. I used to always carry-on my luggage until 9/11. After that, they kept changing the rules so often I never knew exactly what was & was not allowed. It started getting ridiculous...3 oz. bottle of cologne, acceptable. However, a 3.3 oz bottle of cologne banned...even if only half full. I ended up just checking it in and never had a problem with lost luggage yet. Now that airlines are charging for the first checked bag, I assume I'll carry-on my clothes, etc. and post my toiletries via USPS to the hotel I'll be staying at. What carry-on/check-in has to do with airplane etiquette I don't know. I feel if obese passengers are "overflowing" onto someone else's seat, then yes either they pay more, or the affected passenger get money back or a first-class upgrade/free flight voucher.

I hate to fly regardless so allowing people to yap on the cellphones doesn't make much difference to me.

I carry on everything if I can fit it into a bag I know will fit in the overhead.

I am a large guy, not fat or obese, but large. I am tall, I have broad shoulders, long legs and long arms. I do not fit in airplane seats. they are TOO SMALL!!! i shouldn't have to pay more because some greedy dirtbag decided I only need 1.5 cubic feet of space in my seat to be comfortable. and yes, if you are suggesting that fat people who dont fit into seats should have to pay more, you are also suggesting that tall people should as well. that sucks.

I cant stand people who recline their seats without asking. I think its just common courtesy to ask.

Originally Posted by dave

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I hate to fly regardless so allowing people to yap on the cellphones doesn't make much difference to me.

I carry on everything if I can fit it into a bag I know will fit in the overhead.

I am a large guy, not fat or obese, but large. I am tall, I have broad shoulders, long legs and long arms. I do not fit in airplane seats. they are TOO SMALL!!! i shouldn't have to pay more because some greedy dirtbag decided I only need 1.5 cubic feet of space in my seat to be comfortable. and yes, if you are suggesting that fat people who dont fit into seats should have to pay more, you are also suggesting that tall people should as well. that sucks.
tall people generally take up vertical space [not precious space]. fat people take up horizontal room - which is valuable. i hate sitting on buses (planes too, but rarely fly) if people are spilling onto me. so gross. worse is being jammed in between two! i've seen two people take up 4 seats on a bus WTFFFF!!!!

Originally Posted by Lone Wolf

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My pet peeve is armrest hogs. Get it straight, people. If you're in the aisle seat, you get the armrest on the aisle side. If you're in the window, you get the armrest on the window side. The guy in the middle gets both. {end of second rant}
Really? How does it work when there are more than three seats in a row? Common armrests are shared space. That's why aisle and window seats are more desirable than middle seats.

Originally Posted by dshin

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I cant stand people who recline their seats without asking. I think its just common courtesy to ask.
The reclining nature of my seat is part of the ticket price. It has no bearing on the person behind me. It doesn't affect their legroom or anything. At most, it makes it more difficult to get out of your seat, but that's not something that should be happening very often while in flight.

Originally Posted by dshin

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I cant stand people who recline their seats without asking. I think its just common courtesy to ask.


Odd, I have never once been asked nor thought to ask the person behind me if I could recline my seat. I would think you are entitled to the recline function of your seat...If they want room for their laptop (though with how little some airlines let their seats recline, this might be a moot point) they probably should have opted for first class...

I hate to fly even though I must do it at least once a month. I have found that ignoring everyone and making myself comfortable is the one thing that works. I bring my mp3 player, noise cancelling headphones,things to read and puzzle books to keep me occupied. I also will take a Xanax if it is really bad and just sleep. That may sound extreme but I arrive comfortable while eveyone else is a mess.