Plane passengers are out of control or, at least, it seems that way based on all the viral videos of passengers behaving badly. As Travel & Leisure reports, this prompted travel search engine Kayak to conduct a survey asking people what they consider to be proper plane etiquette. The plan was to display the results at major airports around the country during the busy summer travel season in hopes of educating flyers on what to do and what not to do.
In case you were wondering, here are the 10 unspoken rules of proper plane etiquette:
- Reclining is okay — sometimes. 88 percent approve, but about one-third think you should only recline on a long or overnight flight.
- If you’re in the middle seat, do not assume you should get to use both armrests. 57 percent say armrests should be shared.
- Wear socks. Only 24 percent think it’s okay to take your socks off on a plane.
- Avoid smelly food. 92 percent say strong-smelling food should not be brought on a plane.
- Keep your feet to yourself. 68 percent say do not put your feet up on the seat in front of you.
- Listen up. 70 percent say you should wear headphones when watching inflight entertainment or streaming from your own device.
- Be careful if you drift off to sleep. 77 percent say it’s wrong to lean on a stranger’s shoulder, while 66 percent say snoring loudly is a no-no. And 66 percent say it’s okay to wake someone up if you need to get out of the seat.
- Wait to make your “I’m here” call. 69 percent think it’s rude to make a phone call while waiting to deplane.
- A plane is not a nail salon. 92 percent say clipping and painting your nails is a no-no and 81 percent say you should also not file your nails when flying.
- It’s fine to stash small items in the overhead. 73 percent of passengers say, despite what flight attendants instruct, it’s okay to put your jacket or small items in the overhead bin. However, you should probably wait until after the boarding process is complete and everyone has had a chance to store their larger carry-on bags.
Do you agree with these unofficial rules for polite plane travel? Message The Seniors Trust on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you think should be added to the list.
