A Little Airline Etiquette.

On a recent trip to New York from Los Angeles I tried something new. I decided to use Newark for my destination so I could ride over the George Washington Bridge and down the West Side Highway to Manhattan. Instead of flying United, Delta or American I opted for Virgin America. My plan worked beautifully except for one thing. Virgin America’s Airbus gives passengers a smooth, soft ride but the seats have a headrest which can only move up or down slightly – it cannot be removed. With a pinched nerve the headrest was annoying and caused more pain than helped. I wished I could have brought a Boeing seat along. No such luck. Virgin’s check-in and security were fast and easy though and the all-digital program works exceedingly well. Each seat has a monitor with wifi, TV/movie/music selections as well as food choices. It seems much more efficient than other airlines. The passengers were nice people, except for a nasty group whose flight had been returned to the airport for mechanical reasons. The not-so-nice people had been in first class on the scratched flight and now had to join us in the main cabin. It occurred to me that we might need to remind ourselves about some flying etiquette. Here are some suggestions you might keep in mind next time you fly:

Organize all your documents and keep them handy to avoid shuffling through your purse or carryon baggage.

Have your passport, driver’s license or ID available.

Take a bath or shower before you leave home and use deodorant. There’s nothing more offensive than body odor on a plane.

Do not splash on after-shave lotion, perfume or toilet water. Carry tissues and cough drops.

Anticipate going through security, empty your pockets and put odds and ends in your purse or flight bag.

Move quickly to gather your belongings - shoes, purse, flight bag, laptop – regroup without blocking the stream of passengers. Shut down your smartphone so you can focus on the task at hand.

When you board, put your flight bag in the overhead bin. Don’t hog the bin, use the space under your seat for a smaller bag.

Turn off your electronics until after you’re airborne. Eventually, we won’t need to do this in the future.

If traveling with children check on them and try to keep them occupied and calm.

Don’t drink to excess.  Drunk passengers make the experience dreadful for everyone.

If you don’t feel like conversing with a seatmate, put on your earbuds, open a book or kindle or close your eyes.

If you have a window or aisle seat, render the armrests to the middle seat passenger. It’s polite.

Plan your restroom break when the cart is not blocking the aisle.

Be considerate to others – ease your seatback to recline slowly. Don’t grab the top of the seat in front of you in order to get up.

When the plane arrives at your destination collect your belongings and wait for your turn and exit quickly.

Happy flight – travel safely by always keeping your seatbelt fastened for the full duration of the flight.