I’ve noticed a phenomenon in airports that seems to occur frequently. Perfectly polite people enter the doors of the airport and leave their common courtesy behind.
I realize the high level of frustration involved in every visit to the airport. However, when you have to deal with rudeness on top of waiting in long lines, it just adds to the negative atmosphere.
So discover how seasoned a traveler you are by finding out which of these five airport etiquette rules you’ve seen broken or you’ve broken yourself.
1.) Be Ready for Security
For the frequent traveler, it seems baffling when people come to the airport with pockets full of change that they can’t seem to remember. Airport security is aggravating at best, so help out your fellow travelers by taking off your jacket, having your laptop ready and pockets empty before you prepare to walk through the metal detector.
2.) Mind the Queue
Airports stay packed full of people day and night, so for everyone’s sanity, try to remember what you learned in kindergarten and not cut in line. Even if everyone is heading to the same place, seeing someone swoop in and cut in front of you while you’ve been waiting patiently can cause an instant spike in your blood pressure. So remember patience is a virtue and wait your turn.
3.) Don’t Hog the Overhead Bin
Since space is limited in the overhead bin, wait to put your purse or other small bag above until you know there will be room. If the plane is crowded, which it frequently is, do your fellow passengers a favor and store your smaller bag next to your feet.
4.) Middle Seat Gets Armrest
It has been decided by experts, passengers in the middle seat have control of the armrests. The reasoning follows that since the window seat commands the view and the aisle seat has easy access to the bathroom, the middle seat passenger should at least have dibs on the armrests.
5.) Check Before You Recline
We all like to stretch out on a long flight to try and catch some sleep, but it’s always important to at least check with the person behind you before you throw your chair back in someone’s face. Look back to see if they are using it with their laptop or for eating first. It’s also polite to move the seat to upright position during meal times, so the person behind you doesn’t have to eat with a tray in their stomach.
Let me know which other airport faux pas bother you or which you disagree with on Facebook!
