How to Behave on an Airplane According to Flight Attendants

There are situations that can turn the experience of flying into a true nightmare. Among them, the most common are: being forced to take a seat you don't want, dealing with a crying baby throughout the night, or having passengers in front of you who won't stop talking.

However, even though some circumstances may be more exhausting than others, it is important to maintain certain norms of coexistence to make the journey more pleasant for everyone involved. In this regard, 'The New York Times' spoke with several flight attendants, who offered certain recommendations on how to behave on the plane. These suggestions, while not explicitly stated, are the best practices for sharing the same space for the duration of the flight.

Keep your socks on

If you are facing a long flight (especially if traveling across continents), it is likely that you will spend several hours on the plane. During this time, you will experience various moments of the day, such as meals and rest periods. Therefore, it is crucial to choose clothing that provides you comfort and allows you to maintain a pleasant feeling throughout the trip.

Despite the comfort you may achieve with your attire, it is important to remember that being on a plane is not the same as being at home. While taking off your shoes while seated is acceptable and may help your comfort, you need to be mindful of the limits. It is inappropriate to remove your socks, as this may be unpleasant for both your row mates and the cabin crew. Additionally, hygiene is important: airplanes, while regularly disinfected, are exposed to a large number of people almost every day, so keeping your socks on is a cleaner and more respectful practice.

Finish your conversations once you board the plane

It is common not to have Wi-Fi access during the flight. Therefore, the moments before takeoff are crucial for saying goodbyes, resolving work matters, and sending last-minute messages before losing signal for several hours.

Given this situation, many people board the plane distracted by their cell phones: sending messages, downloading music, and even making calls. This pre-boarding moment can become overwhelming if not handled in an orderly manner. In this sense, the flight attendants request focus and ask passengers to set aside their connection once they enter the plane. Furthermore, overhearing irrelevant conversations at this stage could cause discomfort to the rest of the passengers.

Recline your seat properly

Reclining the seat is allowed once the flight has started. In fact, it's the best way to relax and get some sleep, especially on long flights.

However, it is important to do so considerately. We have all experienced the uncomfortable situation of the person in front of us abruptly reclining their seat, causing us discomfort. To avoid this type of situation, the next time you recline your seat, try to do it gently, remembering that there is another person behind you.

The person in the middle seat gets both armrests

This rule is implicit and many may not be aware of it. The seat you get on the airplane can determine whether you have a good or bad flight: while both the window and aisle seats are good options, sitting in the middle seat is always considered the worst.

If you find yourself in this situation, you should know that it's not all bad. The middle seat has the privilege of using both armrests. According to the flight attendants, this is a sort of "consolation prize" for having the bad luck of getting the worst seat.

Use your headphones to distract yourself

Although flight attendants may seem like a kind of authority on the plane, there are some rules that, no matter how often they are repeated and kindly requested, not everyone is willing to comply with and respect them.

One of them is noise. This can happen not only with crying babies but also with chatty seatmates engaging in conversations with other passengers. In this regard, flight attendants urge patience: the best option is to use your headphones to distract yourself from reality and those bothersome companions.