My travels have exposed me to the best and the worst of airplane etiquette. The best usually involves kind passengers moving their seats or helping elderly with luggage. The worst? Nail clipping, belligerent drunks, and the list goes on. Wherever you think you fall on the etiquette spectrum, here are seven things you should never, ever do in-flight.
Aromatic eats
Must you eat a Taco Bell burrito supreme on our six-hour flight? We all know that smell seeps out of your pores hours after you’ve consumed it. Be thoughtful of your fellow passengers and leave your tuna fish sandwiches and your leftover shrimp lo mein for another day.
Touchscreen queen
While you’re dominating Pac-Man on my seat’s touchscreen console, I’m getting whiplash. Do you even know how disruptive your tapping is?
Aisle be a while
So you’re just gonna stand in the middle of the aisle to re-pack your luggage, talk on your phone and while you’re at it make an origami swan out of your airplane blanket, because hey, no one is waiting in line behind you! THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY. If you’ve got lots of things to set up at your seat during boarding, move out of the aisle so the rest of the passengers can squeeze by.
Bare feet on the seat
If a person were to remove their socks and shoes on a two-hour train commute home from the city you would think they were crazy. Why is it okay on a two-hour flight? If you are going to take off your shoes, be sure those socks are clean and smelling like roses. And if you boarded the plane in sandals, pack a pair of cozy socks to put on.
Meal time recline
The aroma of freshly microwaved beef stew should signal you to whip that seat back in to its upright position. It should stay there until the person behind you is done eating.
Let’s drink!
I’m just going to drink this cute little single-serve bottle of vodka to fall asleep! But you don’t fall asleep. You end up telling your life story to your neighbor and before you know it you’re eight cocktails in, you’ve embarrassed yourself and finally fallen asleep in a pile of peanut wrappers and your own drool.
Mani pedis
You ran out of time to get that pre-vacation mani/pedi so you are just gonna get those nails buffed into shape before you land. NOPE. Have you ever seen the debris field left from nail filing? White flecks of your bone are dusted everywhere. And the smell of nail polish in a confined space could asphyxiate the pilot. Terrible idea all around.
For more of what not to do on an airplane, watch my segment on Fox & Friends, or check out Expedia’s 2105 Airplane Etiquette study!