How to Be a Considerate Airline Traveler

Airline travel today is very stressful. Sometimes the stress is caused as much by your fellow passengers as by the airlines or the weather. If all airline travelers were to follow the steps below, the skies would be a little friendlier.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Just like the Girl Scouts, be prepared. When you approach the ticket counter, have all your documents (license, confirmation, passport, etc.) ready so you will not delay other people from getting through the lines and onto their flights.

2. Security lines create an unpleasant travel experience. Minimize the hassle by paying attention when the person in front of you has moved. Follow all the security rules so you don’t create delays at the screening point by carrying on banned articles, liquids in too-large containers or metal in your pockets as you go through the metal detectors.

3. While waiting in the gate area for your flight, don’t pile your luggage and other personal articles on an empty chair. Other people might need to sit down, so leave room for others.

4. Before you get in line to board the plane, separate all the items you will want to have with you during the flight such as reading materials, snacks and music players, instead of doing so when you are on the plane and people are trying to get to their seats.

5. Listen carefully to the announcements. If they are seating first class, don’t get in line if you are not first class. If they have called only a specific row, wait until your row is called to get in line.

6. Store the luggage in the nearest available overhead bin to your seat assignment. Do not shove your bag into the overhead bins closest to the front so you will not have to carry it back to your seat.

7. Use one arm rest only. Allow your seatmate to use the other, particularly if they are in the dreaded middle seat.

8. Do not turn up the volume on your headphones so loud that your seatmate has to spend the flight listening to your choice of music.

9. Get up to let your seatmates out to use the restrooms. Do not expect them to climb over you to address a basic human need.

10. If you strike up a conversation with your seatmate and their answers are monosyllabic or they open a magazine, leave them in peace.

[iamageniuster]

on 10/19/2008 Great tips. Thanks for sharing. 5 stars!