Tuesday, August 12, 2008

7 Things: How to Be a Good Passenger

1. If you must wear perfume or cologne or any sort of strong scent, please make sure that only people who are, say, sitting in your lap can smell it. Or stick the stuff in the magical plastic baggie, and apply upon arrival. Don't make the people next to you (and later everyone else, since the air gets recirculated) smell your scent no matter how awesome you are convinced it is.
2. Please remember that the seats are attached. This means if you kick the footplate beneath your seat, your fellow row-mates can feel it. So try not to.
3. Please remember that you will be raising your arms when you stow your bag in the overhead compartment. So, please plan your outfit accordingly, keeping in mind that seated passengers will have their eyes at about waist level when you do this. I, personally, did not need to know that you were, for example wearing playboy bunny boxers. In fact, I really wish I did not know this.
4. Please make sure your headphones do not have a big sound leakage problem. Understandably your volume will be high to drown out the engine and passenger noise, so, try not to add to the noise for the rest of us.
5. Please don't get into line with only part of your party if you are all planning to board the plan together.
6. Please be kind to the flight attendants, and remember, generally they do not make airline policy, they just get to tell you about it.
7.Please remember that we all want to get off the plane. (Really). While I'm sure your need for quickness is very important, if we all disembark row by row, it works quite well. It also prevents me from thinking mean thoughts as you leap over armrests trying to jump a few spaces in the exit line.