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Airplane etiquette

polycom

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- Don’t Recline for short flights during the day.... the person behind you be working or eating and you just spilled everything all over them.

- If you have a window seat close the window when the plane is at 30k+ feet

- If you have a window seat in row 25 don’t stand up when the plane lands you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

- Help people put their bags in the overhead so they don’t hit people who are already sitting
 

Husky25

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If you have a trained service canine, climb aboard the cabin. If you have an emotional support gerbil. Either drive or get into the cargo hold.
 

cohenzone

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Flew all the way back from Poland to JFK last week with a woman and her bratty kid right behind me. He was pretty much kicking my seat the whole way except for the 3 out of 8 hours he slept and the woman next to me and I asked the flight attendant to ask the mother to control the kid. My wife was across the aisle and didn't have to put up with it. The mother didn't try too hard. When we landed. we unbelievably had no gate for about 90 minutes and the kid was really difficult with pushing the seat. It's one thing for a little kid to be crying or talking, but a parent has to control the kicking. When I finally asked the mom to please get him to stop, the idiot said, well he's little, and she paid for her ticket (implying she was entitled to do what she wanted) and that we should fly first class. I've flown with my own kids when they were little and with my grandchildren and one thing I know you can do is control kicking. My wife, the woman next to me and our friend across the aisle from this woman couldn't believe her.

On a plus side, we flew LOT, the Polish airline and it was good. Modern planes (windows that had a interesing tint control and no shades), decent food and decent service. I watched the Ben Affleck movie The Accountant, on the way home. I thought it was awful. which is saying a lot for a movie with John Lithgow, JL Simmons and Anna Kendrick.

Poland isn't yet a big American destination, and it's new very right wing government is no bargain, but we loved it there. Great cities, great people and terrific food (about 25 varieties of pierogies and many types of sausage. pork. pancakes and other good dishes. Ice cream shops all over. There are a ton of McDonald's and especially KFC, apparently an influx once the Communists were ousted about 30 years ago. We didn't go to any of them,. but people told us the burgers at Micky D's are better quality than in the US. They have sort of a local version of fast food called, for no apparent reason, Milk Bars. Really good food, full hot meals with great variety and very low cost. The locals jam them.

I know people we met were afraid to criticize the government, some crazy new laws, but there was no particular overt police presence, maybe plain clothes, I don't know. I'd go back to visit other cities. The downers were a visit to Auschwitz and the bigger sister death camp Birkenau and the remains of the Warsaw ghetto wall, pock marked by bullet holes, and a few ruins of old buildings where the Jewish resistance fought the Nazis until overwhelmed.
 

Chin Diesel

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Flew all the way back from Poland to JFK last week with a woman and her bratty kid right behind me. He was pretty much kicking my seat the whole way except for the 3 out of 8 hours he slept and the woman next to me and I asked the flight attendant to ask the mother to control the kid. My wife was across the aisle and didn't have to put up with it. The mother didn't try too hard. When we landed. we unbelievably had no gate for about 90 minutes and the kid was really difficult with pushing the seat. It's one thing for a little kid to be crying or talking, but a parent has to control the kicking. When I finally asked the mom to please get him to stop, the idiot said, well he's little, and she paid for her ticket (implying she was entitled to do what she wanted) and that we should fly first class. I've flown with my own kids when they were little and with my grandchildren and one thing I know you can do is control kicking. My wife, the woman next to me and our friend across the aisle from this woman couldn't believe her.

On a plus side, we flew LOT, the Polish airline and it was good. Modern planes (windows that had a interesing tint control and no shades), decent food and decent service. I watched the Ben Affleck movie The Accountant, on the way home. I thought it was awful. which is saying a lot for a movie with John Lithgow, JL Simmons and Anna Kendrick.

Poland isn't yet a big American destination, and it's new very right wing government is no bargain, but we loved it there. Great cities, great people and terrific food (about 25 varieties of pierogies and many types of sausage. pork. pancakes and other good dishes. Ice cream shops all over. There are a ton of McDonald's and especially KFC, apparently an influx once the Communists were ousted about 30 years ago. We didn't go to any of them,. but people told us the burgers at Micky D's are better quality than in the US. They have sort of a local version of fast food called, for no apparent reason, Milk Bars. Really good food, full hot meals with great variety and very low cost. The locals jam them.

I know people we met were afraid to criticize the government, some crazy new laws, but there was no particular overt police presence, maybe plain clothes, I don't know. I'd go back to visit other cities. The downers were a visit to Auschwitz and the bigger sister death camp Birkenau and the remains of the Warsaw ghetto wall, pock marked by bullet holes, and a few ruins of old buildings where the Jewish resistance fought the Nazis until overwhelmed.

Gotta agree there is a line between youngins' being youngins' and parents punting on parenting.

Aviation has gotten so much better the past few years on mainline carriers IMO. I don't fly much on the discount airlines; most of my flying is for work and Fly America Act says we have to use mainline carriers. So, my points are with them and I stick with them for leisure travel. If you are experienced as a passenger you should know how to control the parts of the flight you can control (how to pack carry-ons, how to dress, what electronics to bring, etc).

Domestically, the horrible smaller ERJ-135/145 commuter jets are going away as are the smaller CRJ's. I can handle the CRJ-900's but the 700's and especially the 200 are just bad. The newer ERJ-175's and ERJ-190's are pleasant. I've flown them on Japan Airlines in Japan and American Airlines in the US. Clean 2 by 2 seating arrangement with plenty of hip room. Big overheads.

I try to avoid the A-320's and A-321's as I think they still tend to be configured for max sardines. I do like the newer 737-800's and 737-900's. I've flown them cross country on 4-hour flights and have found them tolerable.

Internationally, I like both the 777's and the A330's. I am looking forward to the A-350 and still have a possibility of a 747 on either Korean Air or British Airlines.
 

cohenzone

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Gotta agree there is a line between youngins' being youngins' and parents punting on parenting.

Aviation has gotten so much better the past few years on mainline carriers IMO. I don't fly much on the discount airlines; most of my flying is for work and Fly America Act says we have to use mainline carriers. So, my points are with them and I stick with them for leisure travel. If you are experienced as a passenger you should know how to control the parts of the flight you can control (how to pack carry-ons, how to dress, what electronics to bring, etc).

Domestically, the horrible smaller ERJ-135/145 commuter jets are going away as are the smaller CRJ's. I can handle the CRJ-900's but the 700's and especially the 200 are just bad. The newer ERJ-175's and ERJ-190's are pleasant. I've flown them on Japan Airlines in Japan and American Airlines in the US. Clean 2 by 2 seating arrangement with plenty of hip room. Big overheads.

I try to avoid the A-320's and A-321's as I think they still tend to be configured for max sardines. I do like the newer 737-800's and 737-900's. I've flown them cross country on 4-hour flights and have found them tolerable.

Internationally, I like both the 777's and the A330's. I am looking forward to the A-350 and still have a possibility of a 747 on either Korean Air or British Airlines.
Agree on the regional jets. Sometimes you get stuck on the little ones. We flew to Branson 2 months ago and almost all the connecting flights into Springfield MO are on 145s and smaller CRJ. Overheads don’t hold anything bigger than a back pack

We picked LOT because of schedule and cost I liked almost everything about it. Of course the latest airline scam is more leg room seats. We buy them sometimes on longer flights, otherwise take aisle seats even though I like window seats which I do when there are only 2 seats on the window side. The cost of the extra legroom seats is getting silly.

I still think the worst extra charge is for luggage. We also pack as best we can to have only carry on. Couldn’t do that for 3weekscin Poland, but no fees on overseas flights. The whole point of air travel is to go fairly long distances where most of the time passengers will have luggage. The fees were put in when the fuel costs spiked supposedly do the airlines could recoup the cost. So the fuel costs went down, but for most carriers the luggage charges stayed and fees like paying extra for leg room introduced so you can avoid Sardinelanf.
 
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Airplane etiquette --

ox·y·mo·ron
ˌäksəˈmôrˌän/
noun
noun: oxymoron; plural noun: oxymorons
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
 

polycom

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Airplane etiquette --

ox·y·mo·ron
ˌäksəˈmôrˌän/
noun
noun: oxymoron; plural noun: oxymorons
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Uh.. if you fly 100+ segments a year you'd feel otherwise.
 

Chin Diesel

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Agree on the regional jets. Sometimes you get stuck on the little ones. We flew to Branson 2 months ago and almost all the connecting flights into Springfield MO are on 145s and smaller CRJ. Overheads don’t hold anything bigger than a back pack

We picked LOT because of schedule and cost I liked almost everything about it. Of course the latest airline scam is more leg room seats. We buy them sometimes on longer flights, otherwise take aisle seats even though I like window seats which I do when there are only 2 seats on the window side. The cost of the extra legroom seats is getting silly.

I still think the worst extra charge is for luggage. We also pack as best we can to have only carry on. Couldn’t do that for 3weekscin Poland, but no fees on overseas flights. The whole point of air travel is to go fairly long distances where most of the time passengers will have luggage. The fees were put in when the fuel costs spiked supposedly do the airlines could recoup the cost. So the fuel costs went down, but for most carriers the luggage charges stayed and fees like paying extra for leg room introduced so you can avoid Sardinelanf.


Agree on luggage and fees. Half the time they end up allowing passengers to check their carry ons for free at the gate once overheads get filled.

As for the leg room and up charges, I do my best to get exit row seats where there's plenty of leg room. I avoid the front row of sections within the plane. You get the leg room but almost always have the tray in your arm rest which kills hip room. I value seat width almost as much as leg room.

I figure if you are going on vacation as a family, check one 30" upright and everyone bring a carry on. You should be able to get up to a week's worth of stuff with you.
 

cohenzone

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Agree on luggage and fees. Half the time they end up allowing passengers to check their carry ons for free at the gate once overheads get filled.

As for the leg room and up charges, I do my best to get exit row seats where there's plenty of leg room. I avoid the front row of sections within the plane. You get the leg room but almost always have the tray in your arm rest which kills hip room. I value seat width almost as much as leg room.

I figure if you are going on vacation as a family, check one 30" upright and everyone bring a carry on. You should be able to get up to a week's worth of stuff with you.

Yeah. I never choose bulkhead rows. A few years ago on a trip to Europe I met a couple who live near my son in LA, it turned out the guy had lived in CT and be and his father owned the apartment we lived in as newly weds (small world and we’ve maintained contact). Anyway, he and his wife have big bucks but even in a 3 week rip, only pack back packs. He is my god but I can’t pull it off. I think they wash out underwear, have a few easily washable travel shirts, and manage. They do look a little rumpled after several days. We do some of tge was able things. When we do timeshare travel or to my sons, it’s easier because we ways have washers and dryers available.
 

Chin Diesel

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Earlier this summer we sent our son to stay with his grand parents in Arizona for about a month.

I go to the airport to pick him up from his return flights. Boy is a big kid for a 16 year old. Somewhere around 6'2"-6'3" and 230 lbs. Airport has a camera where family can see fliers walking through the concourse to the security line. I see him in gym shorts and a sleeveless tank top. I was about to strangle grand parents.

Men over the age of 5 shouldn't be wearing sleeveless shirts. No one wants to sit next to a dude with armpit hair, etc. Even creepier would be men who shave their pits. I've seen it way too often where adult men had the notion that flying sleeveless is acceptable. (Also explained to son that unless you are at a beach restaurant, you wouldn't ever eat at a restaurant in a tank top either). Same with flip flops for dudes. You don't travel with foot thongs. Closed-toed sandals are fine.
 

Husky25

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There is a whole chapter of additional etiquette for people traveling with kids. On the other hand, if the parents are making a sincere effort, they should be cut a bit of slack as well, dependent on the kid's age and effort level. Kids over 2 Y.O. require a ticket and are afforded a carry-on. Parents need to take full advantage of that. Also if you are traveling with children, give yourself extra time, As seemingly useless as the TSA might be, a child is not a get through security free card. It's not their fault you showed up at the airport 5 minutes before boarding on the other end of the terminal. Cohen's example above deserves a throat punch.

Security Lines: The valet van is the perfect time to move everything from one's pockets and person (wallet, phone, ear phones, money - save a couple bucks for tip and ID, sunglasses, keys, etc.) to the side pocket of the carry-on. Don't wait until you get to the metal detector. Take the belt off (If it was even necessary in the first place) in the TSA line and wear loosely tied sneakers or slip-ons shoes. After you grab you shoes and carry-on off the conveyor, move to the benches. Don't get redressed directly from the gray bins. It's a severe bottleneck at any other airport except Bradley, and it's getting worse there too.
 
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Chin Diesel

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There is a whole chapter of additional etiquette for people traveling with kids. On the other hand, if the parents are making a sincere effort, they should be cut a bit of slack as well, dependent on the kid's age and effort level. Kids over 2 Y.O. require a ticket and are afforded a carry-on. Parents need to take full advantage of that. Also if you are traveling with children, give yourself extra time, As seemingly useless as the TSA might be, a child is not a get through security free card. It's not their fault you showed up at the airport 5 minutes before boarding on the other end of the terminal. Cohen's example above deserves a throat punch.

Security Lines: The valet van is the perfect time to move everything from one's pockets and person (wallet, phone, ear phones, money - save a couple bucks for tip and ID, sunglasses, keys, etc.) to the side pocket of the carry-on. Don't wait until you get to the metal detector. Take the belt off (If it was even necessary in the first place) in the TSA line and wear loosely tied sneakers or slip-ons shoes. After you grab you shoes and carry-on off the conveyor, move to the benches. Don't get redressed directly from the gray bins. It's a severe bottleneck at any other airport except Bradley, and it's getting worse there too.


Good call on prepping for the TSA line. I just dump everything I own in the front pocket of my back pack and sort it out later. Also, if you travel more than once or twice a year, get Pre-check. $80 for 5 years. Travel internationally? Upgrade to GOES for $100 for the 5 years and it includes Pre-check. GOES is a PITA because you have to make and appointment, go to an authorized airport for a face to face with CBP agent. Plenty of options in the northeast though.
 
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Uh.. if you fly 100+ segments a year you'd feel otherwise.

Flying is the most dehumanizing experience that people have to regularly face. From the idiots who try to bring a kayak on board to put in the overhead (true story), to the kid kicking the back of your chair, there are no rules that are followed. Unless you upgrade, it is simple something you put up with. Etiquette, ya right.
 

polycom

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Flying is the most dehumanizing experience that people have to regularly face. From the idiots who try to bring a kayak on board to put in the overhead (true story), to the kid kicking the back of your chair, there are no rules that are followed. Unless you upgrade, it is simple something you put up with. Etiquette, ya right.

What? This is not how etiquette works. Just because etiquette isn't followed doesn't mean there isn't etiquette.
 

Husky25

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Flying is the most dehumanizing experience that people have to regularly face. From the idiots who try to bring a kayak on board to put in the overhead (true story), to the kid kicking the back of your chair, there are no rules that are followed. Unless you upgrade, it is simple something you put up with. Etiquette, ya right.
Maybe it's not them...Jest sayin'...;)
 

HuskyHawk

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What? This is not how etiquette works. Just because etiquette isn't followed doesn't mean there isn't etiquette.

I don't think he is suggesting there should be no etiquette. Rather that the practical reality is that it's a good chance you won't experience it. Flying is miserable. The fact that it requires two hours on each end, not counting travel to the airport, means that even a short flight is a long trip.

Best experiences have been on Jet Blue.
 

polycom

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I don't think he is suggesting there should be no etiquette. Rather that the practical reality is that it's a good chance you won't experience it. Flying is miserable. The fact that it requires two hours on each end, not counting travel to the airport, means that even a short flight is a long trip.

Best experiences have been on Jet Blue.

Flying isn't bad. People say flying is miserable but it's only miserable if you don't do it regularly. I fly every week, getting a on a plane is like getting on a bus for me.
 
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- Don’t Recline for short flights during the day....

Don't recline if there's someone behind you, period.

Flew from the UK back home -- bad enough that you're in a tight seat for 6 hours midday, but then you've got about 2 inches of breathing room since some guy has reclined into your lap.
 
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6 hr flights? Cake; perfect time for some work, reading, a movie, potentially an edible meal on non-US airlines (esp in business+), and even a siesta or 2. Over time, you learn to deal with true long-duration flights, e.g., non-direct or even direct business to Asia.

If lucky, you're flying Sing, Cathay, Thai, Japan, or ANA or maybe Asiana or Korean on their best days. Less lucky, you're on a US airlines or Air Canada with typically neanderthalic flight attendants. Even worse, you're flying on some other Asian airline.
 
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Gotta agree there is a line between youngins' being youngins' and parents punting on parenting.

Aviation has gotten so much better the past few years on mainline carriers IMO. I don't fly much on the discount airlines; most of my flying is for work and Fly America Act says we have to use mainline carriers. So, my points are with them and I stick with them for leisure travel. If you are experienced as a passenger you should know how to control the parts of the flight you can control (how to pack carry-ons, how to dress, what electronics to bring, etc).

Domestically, the horrible smaller ERJ-135/145 commuter jets are going away as are the smaller CRJ's. I can handle the CRJ-900's but the 700's and especially the 200 are just bad. The newer ERJ-175's and ERJ-190's are pleasant. I've flown them on Japan Airlines in Japan and American Airlines in the US. Clean 2 by 2 seating arrangement with plenty of hip room. Big overheads.

I try to avoid the A-320's and A-321's as I think they still tend to be configured for max sardines. I do like the newer 737-800's and 737-900's. I've flown them cross country on 4-hour flights and have found them tolerable.

Internationally, I like both the 777's and the A330's. I am looking forward to the A-350 and still have a possibility of a 747 on either Korean Air or British Airlines.

Love the E-175 and E-190.

2 by 2 seating is great.

3 by 3 seating is not great.

On a 737 tomorrow :(
 

polycom

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Love the E-175 and E-190.

2 by 2 seating is great.

3 by 3 seating is not great.

On a 737 tomorrow :(

On an MD-90 today. I know the 737 struggle.
 

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