When flying on a commercial airline, most people try to respect the norms of being on a plane. However, some folks have never flown before (here are some fascinating stats about Americans and travel) and just don’t know the rules. Others, unfortunately, don’t have the self-awareness to follow the norms of flying and still others don’t give a crap.
The thing is, there are dozens of small, unwritten rules about flying. Someone on the Delta subReddit of Reddit recently asked about them:
What are your unwritten rules?
What do you think are some standard practices passengers should abide by. Eg middle seat get both arm rests, no speakerphone etc.
Here are some of the replies they got:
Before you fly
- shower before you get on the plane, especially long haul flights — codingsoft
- For god’s sake wear deodorant — username23456789
- Stop loitering in front of the boarding gate, nobody likes gate lice — codingsoft
Entering/Exiting the plane
- When you enter the aircraft remove your backpack and carry it In front of you so you don’t hit people with it.– Big-chungus694200
- Deplane in row order…. You are not entitled to get off the plane faster than the people in rows in front of you.– Emp6422
The overhead
- If you’re bringing two pieces of luggage on board, the smaller items must go under the seat in front of you. Exceptions are medical devices as a third carry-on and bulkhead seats where everything must go up. — Cassie_Bowden
- Don’t take overhead bins not by your seat unless you absolutely have to — username23456789
When you’re in your seat
- When you see someone turn around to look at you (yes, YOU), you’re probably hitting their seat. Emphasis on THEIR seat. Just because your tray table is there doesn’t make it your seat. — Spare-Security-1629
- Don’t grab the seat in front of you to stand up or sit down. That what armrests are for.– beejers30
- Middle seat gets 2 armrests, and window seat gets to control the window without anyone demanding how I use it (though if you ask nicely I’ll probably be happy to oblige) — codingsoft
- The fact that the person next to you is small does not entitle you to any portion of their seat space. Your space ends at the imaginary line between the armrest and the next seat.– leucogranite
- No music/movies/whatever out loud. — mountaingoat05
- try tapping on the touch screen instead of punching it to select your movie.– Big_chungus694200
- Don’t bring stinky food onboard. — cloudydays2021
- Don’t take your shoes off if you aren’t wearing socks, and put them back on if you go to the restroom. — ShoddyAd8256
- Turn off the overhead light if you’re not using it. Had the lady behind me on my flight yesterday DTW to AMS (midnight takeoff so 99% of flight attempting yo sleep) that refused to turn her light off, yet she also went to sleep and never got a book out or anything else that would require a light. My seatmate and I ask twice if she would please turn it off as we wanted sleep and she acted like she didn’t hear us.– Familiar_Tip_8547
About getting up
- Aisle seat can’t be annoyed when middle or window seat want to get out. I’m an “aisler” and always tell my row-mates that if I’m asleep, do not hesitate to wake me up if they need to get out. I’ve been trapped before and don’t wish that on anyone. — Texas_Sam2002
- I’m a window seat traveler so if I need to get up (which isn’t often) I will make myself use the bathroom (only one time) if the middle seat person is getting up. This way the person in the aisle isn’t inconvenienced throughout the flight. — GoldJob5918
The Lavatory
- Don’t leave a mess in the bathroom.– mountaingoat05
Your kids
- Control your little crotch-goblins. If they’re big enough to spend the entire 5 hours and 45 minutes that it takes to fly from ATL to SEA kicking/pushing the seat in front of them every 10 minutes, they’re big/old enough that you, the parent, can do something about it. — leucogranite
Interaction with flight attendants
- Do not hand the FAs at the boarding door your trash. There are trash cans near every gate.– Cassie_Bowden
- Say thank you to the flight crew on the way out– codingsoft
- Listen to the flight crew and follow their instructions. — Cassie_Bowden
What can be added to the list? What are your unwritten rules when flying?
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
