A Review of Air Travel Etiquette

Whether you’re a road warrior or only travel occasionally for work, it’s in the best interest of everyone to know the social norms and serious faux pas when traveling.

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While it might seem insignificant to you, travel etiquette is actually a complex negotiation of comfort and kindness between strangers.

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Common Knowledge

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While each traveler has their own routine, it’s smart to review some well-known etiquette before boarding your flight.

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1. One of the hottest debates? It’s who gets the middle seat’s arm rests. The general consensus is that they go to the person in the middle seat — they did draw the short end of the stick being sandwiched in the middle, so it’s the least you can do.
2. Another common courtesy is about volume. If you’re having an in person conversation, talk quietly and only to those immediately around you — the whole plane or gate does not need to hear your conversation.
3. Another rookie mistake is not checking your seat number before boarding. Check and double check which seat you are assigned. It’s best to avoid the fumbling switch as you hold up boarding because you sat in 12D instead of 10D.
4. Have you ever de-planed with a massive headache from the person next to you? It’s a travel nightmare. Bringing fragrant food, perfume, or other overwhelming scents onto a plane with circulated air is a recipe for making enemies. Instead, skip the morning spritz and opt for neutrally-scented snacks. And just in case your lunch ends up being a little more potent than expected, pack gum.

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Pet Peeves

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Now that we’ve reviewed the generally agreed upon travel behaviors, it’s time to dive into what not to do.

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1. Sitting in someone else’s seat hoping to broker a swap. Leave the business negotiation mindset at home and sit in your assigned seat. Putting the burden of discomfort on a stranger and making them say no to you is unfair. Instead, you can make the awkward ask after everyone has settled into their ticketed seats.
2. Devices without headphones. Just don’t do it. Whether it’s a kid’s iPad blaring “Baby Shark” or a call before takeoff on speaker phone, we’ve all experienced a mutual disdain for those who think general volume etiquette does not apply to them. If you forgot headphones, ask a flight attendant for an extra pair or suffer in silence.
3. Taking shoes off for everyone to endure your sweaty, smelly feet. You can take this one on a case-by-case basis based on fight length, who is around you, and if you have fresh socks on-hand. But as a general rule of thumb, don’t make your seat neighbors uncomfortable for no reason. You’re in a public space, so treat it like one.
4. Being unprepared to go through security. TSA can be stressful enough with long lines and wondering if this airport makes you take your shoes off or not. Don’t be the person who left a water bottle in their bag or doesn’t have their ID ready to go. Being prepared for these little moments not only make the travel day more bearable, but also can be the difference between someone missing their flight or not.

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Next time you’re traveling, remember to practice basic etiquette and know that we all have places to be. Be considerate of the strangers around you, and hopefully they will do the same in return.