It is fairly common knowledge that getting Air Travel Etiquette right will help us a lot how to act the proper way, be respectful of others and save us from embarassment. Some of us do not know all the rules of etiquette, below are the lists of some basic rules of air travel that I have gathered.

1. Don't recline your seat the second you get on board -- wait until you are in the air and when you do, do it slowly so as not to knock the person behind you. Don't recline your seat if the person behind is still eating off the tray.

2. The passenger on the aisle seat gets the aisle armrest. The passenger on the window seat gets the window armrest. The passenger in the middle gets BOTH middle armrests because that is his only luxury. In the case of a four-seater row, the same rules apply.

3. Some people like to strike up a conversation with the person next to them; others do not. Please observe your fellow passenger’s body language. Look for nonverbal clues as to whether they’re interested in chatting.

4. Don’t read other people’s books while they are reading or look at the screen of their laptop computer.

5. If you are sitting in the aisle seat, do not lean across your fellow passenger to look out the window.

6. Be kind to the flight attendants. If you have a question, ask the question when you are being served. Never ring the bell unnecessarily.

7. Book an aisle seat if you know you MUST go to the bathroom every hour. It's obnoxious to other people to have to wake up, move their stuff, and be climbed over.

Don't make the person next to you climb over you should they need to get up. It's rude. Get out of your seat and stand in the aisle so they can get out.

8. For families, park yourselves near the back of the plane if possible. You'll be close to the bathroom and a spot to get up and stretch or do whatever it is you and your little ones need to do.

9. Please use deodorant or antiperspirant before climbing into an extremely small space. Don't take your shoes off if you know you have smelly feet. Also, take it easy on cologne/perfume that day -- people may not share your appreciation of the scent and some are allergic to the chemicals in perfume.

10. Don't be aggressive when boarding/disembarking. It is not a race. Your seat is already assigned, and they're pretty much all the same anyhow. There is no reason to push or shove people trying to stow or retrieve their luggage from overhead bins. Let the flight attendant know if you've just got to catch another flight/connection. A flight attendant has the ability to move your seat up to begin with or help you get off first.

11. Put your suitcase into any old overhead bin. Make sure it's the one next to your seat -- otherwise the people who sit below the overhead bin you've randomly selected won't have a place for their stuff.

12. If you are listening to music with headphones, make sure the volume is low enough so that your neighbor does not have to listen to your music.

13. Don't kick the seat in front of you.

14. Don't pull yourself up using the seat in front of you.


If you have other Air Travel tips and recommendations to add, just post your comments here.