Mastering Airport & Flight etiquette: A guide on how not to be “that one”

The following is an overview of dos and don’ts when it comes to flying, from arriving at the airport to leaving it. Some of these are just common sense and basic good manners, while others are specific to the unique aspects of air travel. Follow these guidelines to avoid security issues and arguments with staff or fellow passengers, and generally not be that one clueless or rude person that we always see (there’s always one).

Flight etiquette

Much like being in a traffic jam in a car, sitting inside a plane for hours is a test of patience for all people and brings out the worst in them. Especially on planes where there are strict rules of behavior on top of the common social manners that would be expected. As such, it is important to be mindful of others and remember that you are all in the same boat..with wings…cruising at 800km/h… 10,000mt up in the sky…yeah it’s a strange boat.

Hygiene

First and foremost, pay attention to basic hygiene. Long flights can be exhausting, but if you smell already at the beginning before takeoff, you’re just inconsiderate.

Flailing around

This should go without saying, but don’t be the one who pushes the headrest of the person in front of you, kicks their seat, or puts their legs between the armrests of the seats in front of you. Just don’t. Similarly, try not to bother the people next to you, in front of you, or behind you by moving around too much, jumping on the seat, making unnecessary noise, and being annoying. This is especially true on long flights when the lights will be turned off for sleeping. Even if you don’t sleep (sometimes it might actually be the better option. See this article about jet lag), try not to wake people who are already struggling to sleep.

Switching places

This might come out as bigoted and stereotypical, but I have noticed this the most on flights in Central Asia (India, for example, or the Middle East): when the seatbelt signs are turned off, everyone starts switching places, with the predicted chaos and bewilderment from the flight attendants.

Asking to switch places is very common and is usually done by couples or families with children. But if everyone does it for no reason, the entire cabin luggage retrieval will become pure chaos at landing, with bags being “passed” around at landing (I even saw bags flying across the seats).

When it comes to “normal” requests, like for couples or families mentioned above, remember that people may have actually picked their original, very specific seat for a reason and sometimes paid extra for it. This means that it is totally acceptable for them to reject your seat switch request and you should not get offended, act entitled, etc. If you’re on the other side of the request, traveling solo, it clearly depends on you, whether you consider it a valid request, and whether you wish to be kind to a fellow human or not.

You’re not at the pub

If traveling in groups or with friends, don’t create a small living room in the aisle where you all stand, chat, drink beers, and laugh like being at the pub. The people in the seats there will hate you.

Parties

Similar to the above but at a higher scale. Sometimes, and this happens mostly on flights in peak season to popular tourist destinations for young people, there will be bachelor parties in Mykonos, spring breaks in Cancun, and summers in Magaluf. If done properly, these flights can be fun for other passengers and the flight attendants, but don’t overdo it.

Flight attendants

Don’t be rude to stewards. They are also there to guarantee security, so there is a careful balance of power between when they tell you what to do and don’t and when they are there to serve you. When serving, depending on their route up and down the aisle, they may bring what you asked for much later. Remember, it is not a bar, and generally, don’t treat them as your personal butlers.

Food

Bringing snacks on the plane is a great idea (see this article on what to pack on long flights) but this means peanuts, crackers, candies, and maybe a small dry sandwich. It doesn’t mean stinky pizza, salmon, cheese, or anything that has a strong smell that can annoy other people.

Privacy

As everywhere, try not to stare at other people’s business (magazines, books, phones, in-flight entertainment). Everyone knows if someone is looking at their stuff, and it’s just not cool (I know, sometimes we can’t help ourselves to take a peek at a book cover or heading, but that should be it).

Socializing

All kinds of people fly, of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures. Socializing on the plane might be the most normal thing in the world for some people, while for others it may be the very definition of hell.

So whether you are more introverted or extroverted, whether you want to chat a little with another person with whom you are stuck for the next few hours or want absolute silence, try to understand what that other person wants and act accordingly. The story can either be “I was on a plane for 8 hours and met this other interesting person”, or “I was stuck on a plane for 8 hours and this other person wouldn’t shut up and kept talking to me”.

Children

There is always that crying baby on flights, but they can’t help themselves. But there is often that one family that has older kids who are just let loose on the plane. So needless to say, don’t let your children scream needlessly, kick seats in front of them, run up and down the aisle, etc. Instead, think in advance and prepare some more quiet activities and entertainment for them. Thinking that you are entitled to a completely different standard of basic manners because you are in the incredibly unique situation of having children is another no.

Getting out of your seat: If you are sitting in the middle or by the window and have to get out, ask the other person to stand up as well and let you pass. Don’t try to awkwardly climb over them (although I did do this sometimes when my neighbor was clearly having the best, most soundproof sleep of their life).

When landing: This is more of a cultural thing, but don’t be the one who applauds when the plane lands. Just don’t. Obviously, don’t try to push through the line, getting off the plane. More often than not, everyone will be ready, so it will be the first rows that get into the corridor first and exit first.

Airport Etiquette

At the terminal entrance

When arriving at the terminal by car, you should be dropped off quickly. Clearly, there is a large amount of traffic there, and it’s not a parking spot. After exiting the car, try not to loiter around or block everyone while saying goodbye to someone and hugging them. Think of the metaphor that airports are freeways and that there will be people who have incredibly different urgencies than you and need to speed through. So clearly, standing in front of one of the entrances blocking the way should be avoided.

Inside the airport

As mentioned above, airports are freeways. People will be running to catch their flight, carts will be passing by carrying luggage or people with needs, and whole groups will be moving en masse. So, like for the entrances, try not to stand completely still in the middle of what is clearly a passageway. If you are slow, have time, or need to stop, try to move to the side. In many countries, it’s on the right, just like on highways. This is especially true for escalators and conveyor belts.

Luggage

Luggage at departure

Some people just bring their houses with them. Try not to be that person. See this article on what to pack in cabin luggage for long flights.

Always keep your luggage next to you. This goes beyond etiquette, as there are security rules in place for this. Airports are highly monitored, and an abandoned suitcase will pretty quickly get the attention of airport police, who will be forced to treat it as a potential bomb.

If traveling solo, unfortunately, you’re forced to lug that thing around you at all times. Do not ask someone to watch over your bag, as this will put them in an awkward position. They might be happy to do it everywhere else (although, as a solo traveler, you should avoid this in any case), but in airports, this is an issue because of the safety threat mentioned above. So just don’t.

Another thing that you just don’t do is ask a stranger to carry something for you. For whatever reason (weight, breaching the 1L liquid limit). Same reason as above. People are personally responsible for their luggage, and even just saying that this item belongs to someone else is enough to get into trouble with airport security. Many airline security checks, in fact, ask this as part of their routine questionnaires and passenger profiling. Each passenger must have packed their own suitcase themselves and must never leave it unattended.

Luggage at baggage claim

It always amuses me how, after all these checks and controls. After all the attention to order and rules to be followed, when at baggage claim at arrival, it’s basically a free-for-all. Obviously, no one has an interest in taking someone else’s luggage, and everyone has already been screened (besides the fact that the plane has already landed), and everyone just wants their own bag, but still. There has to be a better, more organized, and somewhat more controlled way instead of throwing everything on a conveyor belt and people just grabbing whatever they want.

Anyways, etiquette here would say to stand a bit further back from the conveyor belt so that the bags can actually be seen by people. Still, few people respect this, and everyone is usually packed as close as possible to the belt.

Many bags look alike, and most people have a common black suitcase. It is easy to get confused. It’s a good idea to have something visible attached to yours so you can recognize it quickly, on top of the name tag, which you should always have, and your bag should not be completely anonymous.

It’s not a problem to pick up the wrong bag. It’s actually better to do this: quickly check if it is yours, and if not, reload on the belt, rather than coasting the conveyor, passing in front of everyone while you have your head tilted sideways while scrutinizing this luggage.

For families, it is also better (in terms of respect for others) to have one person pick up the suitcases and pass them behind instead of the whole family packed together there.

At security

This is where most of the trouble usually happens, and even the annoyance that comes from that one.

The gate security checkpoints might be some of the most controlled (public) spaces on the planet, but there is always that one person (yes, it’s always them) who is clueless, rude, or completely out of line. Speaking of which, stay in line. Often, however, there will be people in a rush who are barely making it to their flight and will want to cut in front of you or ask security if they can cut in front of everyone. Understand their position and know that often it is not even their fault. Let them pass, and they will surely be grateful.

There are often long lines before security checks, and you should prepare accordingly:

• Don’t pack prohibited items. Airports make it abundantly clear what is allowed and what is not, and regardless of your cultural background or what you are used to, you will not be able to bargain or talk yourself out of it. There are extensive lists of prohibited items, such as weapons of any kind, like knives, guns, etc., and flammable objects or powders. Without going into the details of these “extreme”/obvious cases, be wary of the following: nail scissors, any sharp metal objects, and anything flammable, which includes lithium batteries and lighters (lighters might be the only thing that sometimes, although rarely, can be overlooked if they are in a bag and not simply in your pocket and put on the tray). Liquids over 100 ml are also prohibited, so empty that water bottle before getting in line.

• This depends on the airport, but several items need to be put on the tray separately from your hand luggage. Pack these items in easy-to-access bags so you can take them out and put them away quickly without holding up the line. These include laptops and liquids.
• Empty your pockets of everything. While in line, put all those receipts, candies, lighters (hoping they don’t confiscate them), chapsticks, etc. in your hand luggage. You will have to pass with nothing on you.
• Remove metal objects. Belts with large buckles should be removed, as well as necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Body piercings do not need to be removed, as they often go through seamlessly. In the worst case, you will have to show them to security and go through a quick patdown if the metal detector is triggered. Depending on the airport, shoes should also be removed (but wait until you get to the checkpoint and don’t just stand in line in your socks)
• Have your passport boarding pass in hand. If you have the electronic pass on the phone, have that screen ready so as not to hold up the line while you flick through your apps.
• After passing through and retrieving your belongings, move out of the way to redress and put things back, staying away from the conveyor belt and main pathway.

At the gate and boarding the flight

Also here, it’s all about queues and not making people wait. Like at security, have your boarding pass and passport ready at the gate. Before the gate, stand in line, paying attention to your slot, so as to allow those with priority passes or in earlier groups to pass first.

You should have already packed in an efficient manner, so once on the plane, put your carry-on luggage in the overhead bin quickly and take your seat so others can get by. Once you are out of the way, you can reach back up and take out the things you want to have with you, (although it would be better to have all those things packed in your small personal item bag. See this article on how to pack efficiently and what to bring on long flights).

If you have any special requests, now is the time to tell the flight attendants remembering that they are not your butlers.

After landing and exiting the gates and terminal

If that one was not identified until now, now is the time when maximum optimization (aka running over everyone else) or total cluelessness in a foreign place will for sure make them stand out. There is a sort of no-mans land queue-wise after exiting the plane and walking through the arrival gate towards customs. You can certainly try to speed up so as to get there earlier before all the passengers, but also here with common sense.

After customs, when exiting, there will be people waiting, drivers who want to be seen, and other passengers who just want to get out. As mentioned at the start, don’t just stop and stand in the middle of the way.

This also means outside the terminal if you are cluelessly looking for the taxis or need to open your suitcase to take out a sweater because of the cold weather or whatever other reason. For the smokers out there, I know, I am a smoker myself, and it’s the first thing I do once I land, before looking for transportation, before going to the car rental, before putting on a jacket. But don’t stop at the entrance to light up. Not only does it block the way, but it is clearly an annoyance for the many people around, and in most airports, it is prohibited, and you could get an immediate fine right after landing.

You made it! In and out of an airport behaving like a decent human and not being that one.