MaryAnnDVC
"Mare", DISing since '99; prefers being tagless
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Here's the whole article:
The Ten Commandments of Flying
Air travel would be a lot more civil if passengers took the time to remember that theyre sharing cramped quarters with other human beings. Heres an etiquette guide to friendlier skies.
By John Rosenthal
For many travelers, flying ranks somewhere between a root canal and a trip to the post office; the process is marked by lumbering bureaucracy, interminable lines and discomfort. Tired of practices they find unfair, uncaring or even downright demeaning, harried travelers some of whom have suffered through six-hour delays on the tarmac have at times even asked Congress to pass an airline passengers bill of rights.
Unsurprisingly, those proposals havent made it into law. But before we ask government to stick its tentacles even more deeply into another industry, why shouldnt we as passengers take it upon ourselves to make air travel a little less of a chore?
So much of the nuisance of flying is caused not by the airlines or even the loathsome Transportation Security Administration, but by our fellow travelers. Obeying some of the following golden rules might make flying more of a pleasure.
Call them the 10 commandments of flying: the passengers bill of responsibilities.
1. De-compartmentalize
Thats an X-ray machine at the security checkpoint, not a cashier totaling up the value of your belongings. Theres no reason to put your coins and keys in one plastic bin, your laptop in another and your coat in a third. (And, now that the TSA has issued new rules, please dont put your shoes in a bin at all.) All this does is clog up the line, as passengers behind you have to wait for you to clear all of your bins from the far end of the belt. And the TSA agent who wheels the bins back to their starting place has to halt the procession through the metal detector three times as often.
Instead, put your metal objects inside your carry-on bag, and use a single bin unless you have a laptop, which requires its own. That way, the X-ray machine can scan all of your belongings at once, and well all get through the screening process a whole lot faster.
2. Hurry up and wait
I never understand the great rush for everyone to get on board the airplane. Youre going to be sitting in that seat for several hours; do you really need an extra 12 minutes? Sit on the plane, sit in the lounge: Whats the difference?
Yet everyone pushes to be among the first onboard, as though theres some prize to be awarded at the end of the jetway. Not so: Your reward is the same line of passengers, 25 feet closer to the aircraft, still standing and waiting for that one person in row 9 whos holding up the entire queue by blocking the aisle.
Wait until your group is called. It makes the entire boarding process faster and less stressful for everyone.
3. Go solo
All of the major U.S. airlines limit carry-on baggage to one piece of hand luggage and one personal item, which they usually define as a purse, briefcase or laptop. That does not mean you get to carry all of the above plus a shopping bag, a sweater, your buckwheat-filled neck pillow and a water bottle that doesnt fit in any of the aforementioned cases. One means one. And dont get cute by stuffing your valise into the overhead bin in row 7 before proceeding to your seat in row 26. Check it or leave it at home.
4. A carry-on is a carry-on only if you can carry it on
The corollary to the last rule is that you should actually be able to carry your luggage down the aisle without smashing it into other passengers heads, and unless youre elderly or disabled, you should be able to lift it into the overhead bin with ease. If its too big or too heavy to fit in the overhead bin without forcing it, your bag is not a carry-on.
This problem is only going to get worse as more airlines charge a fee to check your suitcases. To that I say: Consider yourself lucky. Even with these fees, airfares are still significantly lower than they were just a year ago. Charging for checked baggage merely redistributes the appropriate costs to those who use the most space on the plane.
5. De-leverage
This is my single biggest pet peeve. When youre getting up out of your seat, please dont pull back on the seat in front of you for leverage. In case you havent noticed, that seat isnt strong enough to hold your weight without bending. If theres a person in that seat, youre giving her an unexpected wild ride. To get out of your seat, use the armrests on your own seat to push yourself up.
6. Look back
The debate over whether its polite to recline your seat rages on, with both sides advancing valid arguments. One thing everyone can agree on, however, is that if youre going to recline, at least take a glance backward so the person behind you doesnt end up with a laptop to the gut or coffee spilled all over his pants.
7. Not so loud
Whats that incessant noise bleeding out of your headphones? Your fellow passengers may not care what its doing to your hearing, but they do care when the volume is so loud that they can sing along across the aisle. The whole purpose of headphones is to keep your music, your podcasts or your Rosetta Stone Italian lessons from bothering other people. Remember that.
8. Surf politely
Internet access on airplanes is no longer a fantasy. Its already available on select flights; some airlines have pledged to offer Wi-Fi on all their flights by midsummer. How widely carriers extend this service will partly depend on whether passengers abuse the privilege.
Well all dread flying a whole lot less if were able to check the score of the game, send and receive e-mail or update our status on our favorite social networking sites (Ohmigod, can you believe it? Im Twittering FROM THE PLANE!). But the minute people start using mile-high Wi-Fi to stare at porn or watch videos with the sound on, the airlines are sure to pull the plug. And forget about using the Web to make phone calls; nothing will kill Internet access on planes faster than a bunch of people yammering on their phones for the entire flight.
9. Clean up after yourself
Nobody wants your empty coffee cup in their seatback pocket, or an in-flight magazine with your gum sticking its pages together. Flight attendants constantly come through the cabin collecting trash. Pitch in.
10. On your mark, get set wait your turn
Passengers used to applaud when pilots made a safe landing. These days, they deliver a standing ovation, leaping out of their seats in a rush to be the first ones off the plane.
Were all in a hurry; we all have tight connections. But that doesnt give anyone license to hurdle past old ladies or whack peoples knees with their rolling suitcase. The etiquette is simple: Exit by rows. The first row of passengers gets off first, followed by the second row and so on.
Odds are youre going to have to wait for your luggage at baggage claim, anyway. If youre in that much of a hurry, theres a way to make sure youre in the first three rows of the plane: Pay for a business-class seat.
John Rosenthal is a frequent contributor to Bing Travel based in Santa Monica, Calif., and is a strong supporter of an air travelers right to recline.
The Ten Commandments of Flying
By John Rosenthal
For many travelers, flying ranks somewhere between a root canal and a trip to the post office; the process is marked by lumbering bureaucracy, interminable lines and discomfort. Tired of practices they find unfair, uncaring or even downright demeaning, harried travelers some of whom have suffered through six-hour delays on the tarmac have at times even asked Congress to pass an airline passengers bill of rights.
Unsurprisingly, those proposals havent made it into law. But before we ask government to stick its tentacles even more deeply into another industry, why shouldnt we as passengers take it upon ourselves to make air travel a little less of a chore?
So much of the nuisance of flying is caused not by the airlines or even the loathsome Transportation Security Administration, but by our fellow travelers. Obeying some of the following golden rules might make flying more of a pleasure.
Call them the 10 commandments of flying: the passengers bill of responsibilities.
1. De-compartmentalize
Thats an X-ray machine at the security checkpoint, not a cashier totaling up the value of your belongings. Theres no reason to put your coins and keys in one plastic bin, your laptop in another and your coat in a third. (And, now that the TSA has issued new rules, please dont put your shoes in a bin at all.) All this does is clog up the line, as passengers behind you have to wait for you to clear all of your bins from the far end of the belt. And the TSA agent who wheels the bins back to their starting place has to halt the procession through the metal detector three times as often.
Instead, put your metal objects inside your carry-on bag, and use a single bin unless you have a laptop, which requires its own. That way, the X-ray machine can scan all of your belongings at once, and well all get through the screening process a whole lot faster.
2. Hurry up and wait
I never understand the great rush for everyone to get on board the airplane. Youre going to be sitting in that seat for several hours; do you really need an extra 12 minutes? Sit on the plane, sit in the lounge: Whats the difference?
Yet everyone pushes to be among the first onboard, as though theres some prize to be awarded at the end of the jetway. Not so: Your reward is the same line of passengers, 25 feet closer to the aircraft, still standing and waiting for that one person in row 9 whos holding up the entire queue by blocking the aisle.
Wait until your group is called. It makes the entire boarding process faster and less stressful for everyone.
3. Go solo
All of the major U.S. airlines limit carry-on baggage to one piece of hand luggage and one personal item, which they usually define as a purse, briefcase or laptop. That does not mean you get to carry all of the above plus a shopping bag, a sweater, your buckwheat-filled neck pillow and a water bottle that doesnt fit in any of the aforementioned cases. One means one. And dont get cute by stuffing your valise into the overhead bin in row 7 before proceeding to your seat in row 26. Check it or leave it at home.
4. A carry-on is a carry-on only if you can carry it on
The corollary to the last rule is that you should actually be able to carry your luggage down the aisle without smashing it into other passengers heads, and unless youre elderly or disabled, you should be able to lift it into the overhead bin with ease. If its too big or too heavy to fit in the overhead bin without forcing it, your bag is not a carry-on.
This problem is only going to get worse as more airlines charge a fee to check your suitcases. To that I say: Consider yourself lucky. Even with these fees, airfares are still significantly lower than they were just a year ago. Charging for checked baggage merely redistributes the appropriate costs to those who use the most space on the plane.
5. De-leverage
This is my single biggest pet peeve. When youre getting up out of your seat, please dont pull back on the seat in front of you for leverage. In case you havent noticed, that seat isnt strong enough to hold your weight without bending. If theres a person in that seat, youre giving her an unexpected wild ride. To get out of your seat, use the armrests on your own seat to push yourself up.
6. Look back
The debate over whether its polite to recline your seat rages on, with both sides advancing valid arguments. One thing everyone can agree on, however, is that if youre going to recline, at least take a glance backward so the person behind you doesnt end up with a laptop to the gut or coffee spilled all over his pants.
7. Not so loud
Whats that incessant noise bleeding out of your headphones? Your fellow passengers may not care what its doing to your hearing, but they do care when the volume is so loud that they can sing along across the aisle. The whole purpose of headphones is to keep your music, your podcasts or your Rosetta Stone Italian lessons from bothering other people. Remember that.
8. Surf politely
Internet access on airplanes is no longer a fantasy. Its already available on select flights; some airlines have pledged to offer Wi-Fi on all their flights by midsummer. How widely carriers extend this service will partly depend on whether passengers abuse the privilege.
Well all dread flying a whole lot less if were able to check the score of the game, send and receive e-mail or update our status on our favorite social networking sites (Ohmigod, can you believe it? Im Twittering FROM THE PLANE!). But the minute people start using mile-high Wi-Fi to stare at porn or watch videos with the sound on, the airlines are sure to pull the plug. And forget about using the Web to make phone calls; nothing will kill Internet access on planes faster than a bunch of people yammering on their phones for the entire flight.
9. Clean up after yourself
Nobody wants your empty coffee cup in their seatback pocket, or an in-flight magazine with your gum sticking its pages together. Flight attendants constantly come through the cabin collecting trash. Pitch in.
10. On your mark, get set wait your turn
Passengers used to applaud when pilots made a safe landing. These days, they deliver a standing ovation, leaping out of their seats in a rush to be the first ones off the plane.
Were all in a hurry; we all have tight connections. But that doesnt give anyone license to hurdle past old ladies or whack peoples knees with their rolling suitcase. The etiquette is simple: Exit by rows. The first row of passengers gets off first, followed by the second row and so on.
Odds are youre going to have to wait for your luggage at baggage claim, anyway. If youre in that much of a hurry, theres a way to make sure youre in the first three rows of the plane: Pay for a business-class seat.
John Rosenthal is a frequent contributor to Bing Travel based in Santa Monica, Calif., and is a strong supporter of an air travelers right to recline.
I didn't!
