Etiquette in the Air

A Pleasant Flight Begins Long Before Takeoff

Etiquette in the Air: A Modern Guide to Courteous Travel

By Tami Lancut Leibovitz - Master of Manners

At the height of the summer travel season, and as the holiday period approaches, airports once again fill with families, couples, business travellers and holidaymakers heading abroad.

We pack clothes, passports, chargers and carefully planned itineraries. Yet there is one more essential item worth taking with us: plenty of patience and consideration for others.

Air travel places us in a unique social situation. For several hours, we share a small, enclosed space with people we did not choose, often under less-than-comfortable conditions: queues, delays, noise, tiredness, children, luggage and sometimes anxiety about flying.

For that reason, etiquette in the air is not merely decorative. It is the social operating system that allows hundreds of people to reach their destination safely, calmly and respectfully.

And it is worth remembering that a flight does not begin when the aircraft leaves the runway. It begins on the way to the airport.

1. Arriving on Time Is an Act of Courtesy

During busy travel periods, arriving at the last minute is not only a personal risk. It may delay family members, place unnecessary pressure on airport staff and lead frustrated passengers to direct their anger at people who are not responsible for the situation.

Check the departure time, terminal, luggage allowance and boarding deadline in advance. Keep your passport, travel documents and boarding pass easily accessible, either in printed form or on your phone.

A digital boarding pass is convenient, but a phone that suddenly loses power at security is not. Save a screenshot of the boarding pass and make sure your device is charged.

2. A Queue Is Not a Suggestion

At the airport, almost everyone seems to have a special reason to go first. One passenger is late, another is travelling with children, and someone else is convinced that the neighbouring line is moving faster.

Nevertheless, a queue is still a queue.

Do not push ahead, ask “just one quick question” while bypassing everyone else, send one person to hold a place and then join them with an entire group, or leave a suitcase as a place marker while going shopping.

When there is a genuine emergency, approach a member of staff politely and ask for assistance. Do not negotiate individually with every passenger ahead of you.

3. Security: Prepare Before It Is Your Turn

When you reach the security checkpoint, be ready. Present the required documents, remove liquids or electronic devices when instructed, empty your pockets and take off any items requested by security staff.

Procedures may differ between countries, airports and security lanes. There is little value in arguing that “they did not ask me to do this at another airport.” The relevant instruction is the one being given at that moment.

Even when the process feels slow or unnecessary, the employee in front of you did not personally create the rules. Calm and efficient cooperation is both courteous and practical.

4. Do Not Lose Your Manners in Duty-Free

Discounts, perfume and chocolate do not justify elbows or aggressive behaviour.

Do not block aisles with trolleys, leave children and suitcases in the middle of a shop, or conduct a loud video call while waiting at the till.

Shopping should end early enough for you to reach the gate calmly. When your name is repeatedly announced over the airport loudspeaker, hundreds of passengers should not have to wait because you were still choosing a fragrance.

5. The Boarding Gate Is Not a Starting Line

The moment boarding begins, something curious often happens: even when passengers are called by zones or row numbers, many immediately stand up and form a dense crowd in front of the gate.

There is no need to board before your group is called, block the entrance or press against the desk. Your assigned seat will not disappear.

Listen to the announcements and board when your group is invited. You may keep your passport and boarding pass ready without standing at the gate twenty minutes in advance.

6. Your Hand Luggage Should Not Delay an Entire Aircraft

Cabin baggage limits are not optional. Check the number, size and weight of permitted bags before arriving at the airport.

Trying to board with an oversized suitcase, several shopping bags and an extra personal item may create delays, arguments and a shortage of storage space for others.

Before entering the aircraft, remove the items you will need during the flight: headphones, medication, glasses, a book, a scarf or a tablet. This prevents you from repeatedly opening the overhead compartment while other passengers are waiting behind you.

Place your main cabin bag in the overhead compartment and your personal item beneath the seat in front of you, according to the airline’s instructions. Do not occupy an entire compartment with several loose items, and never move another passenger’s luggage without asking.

7. Batteries and Chargers: Courtesy Is Also a Safety Matter

Modern travellers board aircraft with phones, laptops, tablets, headphones, watches, cameras and portable chargers. These devices offer convenience, but they also require responsibility.

Spare lithium batteries and power banks are generally expected to remain in cabin baggage rather than checked luggage. They should be protected from damage and short-circuiting, kept accessible, and handled according to the specific airline’s instructions.

If a phone or charger falls between the moving parts of a seat, do not attempt to move the seat forcefully. Call a member of the cabin crew immediately. A crushed or damaged battery may become a serious safety risk.

Charging also requires attention. Do not leave a device charging beneath a blanket, between seat cushions or without supervision. Always follow the cabin crew’s directions regarding the use of charging devices.

8. Say Hello Without Forcing a Conversation

The person sitting beside you will be your neighbour for the next few hours. A smile, a nod or a simple greeting creates a pleasant beginning.

That does not mean you must exchange life stories, ask personal questions or continue talking when the other person opens a book, puts on headphones or gives only brief replies.

True courtesy includes recognising when someone prefers silence.

At the same time, complete indifference is not always helpful. A basic level of communication makes it easier later to ask to leave the row, close the window shade or pass an object without creating unnecessary discomfort.

9. Who Gets the Armrests?

A widely accepted, unofficial rule of air travel gives both armrests to the passenger seated in the middle.

The window passenger has the window and the side wall. The aisle passenger has easier access to the aisle. The middle passenger receives the small consolation of two armrests.

This is not aviation law, but it is a fair distribution of limited comfort.

In any case, an armrest is not territory to be conquered. It may be shared, alternated and used with awareness of whether your elbow is extending into another person’s space.

10. Personal Space Does Not Disappear at 30,000 Feet

The seat may be small, but that does not mean our body is entitled to expand into neighbouring spaces.

Keep your legs in front of you, not stretched into the aisle. Do not place your feet on the wall, on the seat in front or between two seats.

Long hair should not fall over the back of the seat and cover another passenger’s screen. A coat should not occupy half the neighbouring seat. The gap between seats is not an appropriate place for a bare foot.

These rules sound obvious — until the aircraft takes off.

11. Reclining Your Seat: Allowed, but Not Without Warning

On most aircraft, passengers are permitted to recline their seats. The manner in which they do so is equally important.

Before reclining, glance behind you. Make sure the passenger is not leaning forward, working on a laptop, holding a drink or eating. Recline slowly rather than suddenly.

During meal service, return the seat to its upright position. On short, crowded daytime flights, it is also worth asking whether reclining is truly necessary.

The sentence “I paid for my seat” does not change the fact that the passenger behind you paid for theirs.

12. The Window Shade: A Right and a Responsibility

The window-seat passenger usually controls the shade, but consideration is still required.

During a bright sunrise, when most passengers are trying to sleep, lowering the shade may be thoughtful. When someone asks to enjoy the view during takeoff or landing, a compromise may be possible.

At certain stages of the flight, the crew may instruct passengers to raise or lower the shades. In such cases, there is no negotiation. Safety instructions take priority over personal preference.

13. Headphones Are Essential, Not Optional

Films, games, videos and telephone calls should not be played through a loudspeaker in a public space — especially not inside an aircraft.

Use headphones and check that the sound cannot be heard by passengers nearby. Music leaking loudly from headphones is still noise.

Children using tablets also need headphones. “It is only a cartoon” offers little comfort to the passengers hearing it for the sixth time.

14. Phone Calls and Video Calls

Before the doors close, and sometimes after landing, passengers may be allowed to use their phones according to airline instructions. Technical permission, however, is not permission to speak loudly.

Keep your voice low, do not use speakerphone and do not film other passengers without consent. A video call that broadcasts the face of the person sitting beside you is an invasion of privacy.

After landing, there is no need to announce every detail of the holiday before the aircraft has even reached the gate.

15. Fragrance: Less Is More

In an enclosed cabin, strong smells spread quickly. Avoid foods with powerful odours, heavy perfume and the application of strongly scented products during the flight.

Good personal hygiene before flying is considerate. Covering the cabin in a cloud of fragrance is not.

On a long flight, removing shoes may sometimes be acceptable, provided that feet are clean, covered with socks and remain within your personal space. Bare feet do not belong in the aisle, on the wall, on a seat or in the lavatory.

16. Food, Drinks and Alcohol

Eat within the limits of your tray. Avoid repeatedly shaking the seat in front of you while cutting food, and do not fill the seat pocket with rubbish if it can be handed to the crew.

Chewing gum should be wrapped in paper or a napkin and placed in a bin. It should never be attached to a cup, tray, seat pocket or any other surface.

Alcohol affects judgement and may feel stronger under flight conditions. Excessive drinking is not only embarrassing; it can lead to aggressive behaviour, failure to follow instructions and serious safety concerns.

A holiday does not begin by losing control of oneself before reaching the destination.

17. Cabin Crew Are Not Personal Assistants

Cabin crew are on board primarily to protect passenger safety. Service and comfort come after that responsibility.

Do not whistle at them, touch them to gain attention, bang on the service trolley or repeatedly call them because a drink has not arrived quickly enough.

The call button may be used when assistance is genuinely needed, but it should not replace patience.

When the crew asks passengers to fasten seatbelts, close tray tables, raise seatbacks or stop using a device, comply immediately. Do not argue, record a protest video or announce that another airline allows it.

A cabin crew instruction is a safety instruction.

18. Leaving Your Seat Without Creating a Scene

When seated by the window or in the middle, there is no need to explain where you are going or why.

Simply say: “Excuse me, may I please get out?” Then allow the aisle passenger enough time to stand safely.

Do not try to climb over a sleeping passenger or pass them in an intrusive manner. It is better for the aisle passenger to stand fully and allow clear passage.

At the same time, anyone choosing an aisle seat should expect to be asked to move occasionally. A dramatic sigh every time someone needs to leave does not improve the journey for anyone.

19. Movement in the Aisles

On long flights, it is often important to stand and move occasionally, subject to medical and safety guidance. However, the aisle is not a promenade, a play area or a family meeting point.

Do not stand beside the service trolley, gather around the galley, perform stretches that block the aisle or allow children to run back and forth.

When the seatbelt sign is switched on, return to your seat and fasten your belt. Passengers should not decide for themselves that the turbulence “does not look serious.”

20. The Lavatory: Leave It as You Would Wish to Find It

Aircraft lavatories are small and used by many passengers. Leave the sink, toilet and floor as clean and dry as possible.

Dispose of paper, wipes, sanitary products and nappies only in the designated bins. Do not leave paper towels on the floor or turn the sink into a private washroom.

When there is a problem that you cannot clean yourself, discreetly inform the crew. Reporting it is better than leaving the next passenger to discover an unusable space.

21. Flying with Children: A Shared Responsibility

Children are not a nuisance simply because they are children. Babies cry, toddlers struggle to remain seated and young travellers become excited. Fellow passengers should show patience and compassion.

Parents, however, are responsible for preparing properly. Bring quiet games, headphones, suitable snacks, spare clothing and a variety of activities.

Children should not repeatedly kick the seat in front, run through the aisles, interfere with service trolleys or watch videos without headphones.

It is helpful to explain before the flight, in age-appropriate language, that an aircraft is a shared space with rules. This is not only preparation for travel; it is a lesson in consideration and responsible behaviour.

Passengers should also show kindness towards parents who are genuinely trying to manage a difficult situation. An angry stare rarely stops a baby from crying. Sometimes a smile or a small offer of help can transform an entire flight.

22. Seat Swaps: A Request Is Not an Obligation

It is perfectly acceptable to ask another passenger to exchange seats so that you may sit beside a child, partner or family member. The request should be made politely, and a refusal should be accepted gracefully.

A passenger who selected or paid for a window seat, aisle seat or additional legroom is not required to give it up.

When requesting an exchange, offer a seat of equal or greater value rather than assuming someone should accept a less comfortable position.

Do not sit in another person’s assigned seat and say, “I thought you would not mind.” Wait, ask and respect the answer.

23. Photography Inside the Aircraft

Social media has turned every journey into potential content, but the passengers around you are not extras in your video.

Do not photograph a sleeping passenger, a crying child, an argument, a medical situation or a crew member without permission.

Even when someone behaves badly, publicly posting their face may be a serious violation of privacy.

You may photograph yourself, the view or your meal, provided that other passengers are not clearly identifiable and that you do not block the aisle or interfere with the crew.

24. Delays and Disruptions

A delay is frustrating, especially when it affects a connecting flight, hotel booking or family plans. Passengers are entitled to ask questions, request information and seek the support or compensation available to them.

There is no need to shout, insult or humiliate the member of staff standing in front of you.

The representative did not create the weather, run the airport or necessarily make the decision that caused the delay.

State the problem clearly, explain what you need and ask which options are available. Assertiveness and courtesy are not opposites. In many situations, calm clarity is the most effective approach.

25. Landing Is Not Yet the End of the Flight

The sound of the wheels touching the runway is not a signal to stand.

Remain seated and fastened until the seatbelt sign has been switched off and the aircraft has reached the gate.

There is no benefit in standing bent over in the aisle for fifteen minutes, pulling down bags above other people’s heads or pushing towards the front. In most cases, passengers will leave in row order.

When a passenger is rushing for a connecting flight, allow them to pass when the crew has announced it or when they ask politely. A small gesture may save an entire journey.

Before leaving, check that you have not left behind rubbish, chewing gum, headphones or personal belongings.

Thank the crew as you exit. A brief expression of appreciation after several hours of work in a demanding environment is part of respectful travel.

Etiquette in the Air Is Not About Receiving More — It Is About Disturbing Others Less

An aircraft is one of the few places where hundreds of strangers must cooperate in a confined space without the simple option of walking away.

For that reason, good manners in the air are measured not by grand gestures, but by small acts:

• Arriving on time.

• Waiting our turn.

• Lowering our voice.

• Respecting personal space.

• Listening to the crew.

• Noticing the person beside us.

• And remembering that although we purchased a ticket, we did not purchase the aircraft.

A pleasant holiday does not begin at the destination.

It begins with the way we travel there.

Wishing you a pleasant, safe and courteous flight.

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