Aeroplane Etiquette – Don’t Make These Mistakes

Everyone shares a small amount of space on an aeroplane, so it’s important to always think about how your actions affect other passengers. If you want to help everyone have a good experience, try not to make these etiquette mistakes!

Going barefoot

An Expedia survey found that 90 percent of people say going barefoot on a flight is bad etiquette. If you do want to take your shoes off, consider putting on a clean pair of socks just before you fly.

Talking to someone who wants to be left alone

Expedia also found that nine out of 10 passengers want to be left alone when they fly. 69% said they’d rather sleep than talk to the person beside them.

Taking the middle armrests

Passengers in window seats can rest against the wall, and passengers in aisle seats can stretch out their legs. So it’s good etiquette to allow passengers in the middle seat should always get two armrests.

Reclining your seat too far

Etiquette expert Lizzie Post says you should avoid reclining your seat all the way back. If you do recline your seat, first check if the person behind you has a child or a laptop, and let them know you’ll be reclining.

In addition to this, it’s definitely not acceptable to recline during the meal service.

If the person in front of you reclines their seat too far, Post says it’s OK to ask them to pull it up, but ask in a friendly way. However, she says it’s better to stay quiet than to start an argument on the plane.

Keep the Window Shade Up

If you’re sitting in the window seat and have control of the window, other people may not want to sit in darkness or be unable to see the bright blue sky outside their window. Therefore it’s nice to be respectful of that.

One thing you could do if you like the shade closed is to ask your seat mates how they feel about it. If they don’t mind whether you close it or not, feel free to keep it shut for the flight. If they do want it open, you could offer to trade seats with them, so they get the window and you don’t have to spend the flight trying to avoid looking out of it.

Other etiquette mistakes include taking smelly food on the plane, not covering your mouth when you cough, and being rude to airline staff.