4 of my pet peeves while flying

[Jimster]

For what it’s worth, I have 4 pet peeves when flying. These probably aren’t the only ones and certainly some will see them as not a problem, but they tend to bother me.

1. DON’T GRAB MY SEAT! I don’t like people who think my seat (especially when sleeping) are something to grab or hang on to. Look at the flight attendants. They go up and down the aisle all the time but they don’t grab seat backs. They gain stability by moving their hands along the storage bins. Watch them-that’s how it is done. Other people grab the seats to get up from theirs or get into theirs. That too is mostly unnecessary. Lift up the side bar and slide into your seat or press against it to stand. If you have a window seat, have the others get up-leave my seat alone. It’s all a matter of technique.

2. DON’T STAND IN LINE AT THE TOILET! I usually avoid seats by the toliet but when I do I don’t want you standing there. Amazingly, many people don’t look up above the toliet door. There are red and green lights which operate when people enter and exit the toliet. These are visible throughout the cabin.

3. DON’T UNBUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT UNTIL YOU HEAR THE BELL! Actually we do better in the USA than in most foreign markets and truthfully, the danger is generally not mine but rather the person who unbuckles too soon. Why wait to unbuckle? Have you ever seen someone go flying down the aisles because they unbuckled too soon? Most people think that once they are on the ground, they are good to go. Yet if you are just inches from the Jetway and the pilot hits the brakes hard, you can get seriously injured.

4. TURN OFF THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AND HANG UP WHEN REQUESTED. A flight attendant’s primary duty is to insure the safety of the passengers- not to serve you drinks, or make your life comfortable. First, no one wants to listen to your phone call. Second, it is hard to imagine something that urgent that you can’t wait. Finally, its the rule and that should be reason enough. Now I realize many people don’t like rules- witnesses the number of irresponsible drivers who don’t stop at stop signs. Ultimately, you can get thrown off the plane if you fail to comply-remember George Clooney.

I know I am going to get flack for saying these things, but I think people should know what others find annoying if they are unaware.

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

How about:
Don't kick, or push on the BACK of my seat!!!

 

[Jimster]

I agree but i thought that was obvious but by all means add that!

 

[Passepartout]

How about the guy waaaay back in about 35C who as soon as the seat belt light goes out at the gate, moves into the aisle and rummages about pulling down carry-ons, jackets, etc only to stand there for 10 minutes while passengers deplane orderly from front to back. (note- I'm guilty of this)

 

[Glynda]

For what it’s worth, I have 4 pet peeves when flying. These probably aren’t the only ones and certainly some will see them as not a problem, but they tend to bother me.

1. DON’T GRAB MY SEAT! I don’t like people who think my seat (especially when sleeping) are something to grab or hang on to. Look at the flight attendants. They go up and down the aisle all the time but they don’t grab seat backs. They gain stability by moving their hands along the storage bins. Watch them-that’s how it is done. Other people grab the seats to get up from theirs or get into theirs. That too is mostly unnecessary. Lift up the side bar and slide into your seat or press against it to stand. If you have a window seat, have the others get up-leave my seat alone. It’s all a matter of technique.

2. DON’T STAND IN LINE AT THE TOILET! I usually avoid seats by the toliet but when I do I don’t want you standing there. Amazingly, many people don’t look up above the toliet door. There are red and green lights which operate when people enter and exit the toliet. These are visible throughout the cabin.

3. DON’T UNBUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT UNTIL YOU HEAR THE BELL! Actually we do better in the USA than in most foreign markets and truthfully, the danger is generally not mine but rather the person who unbuckles too soon. Why wait to unbuckle? Have you ever seen someone go flying down the aisles because they unbuckled too soon? Most people think that once they are on the ground, they are good to go. Yet if you are just inches from the Jetway and the pilot hits the brakes hard, you can get seriously injured.

4. TURN OFF THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AND HANG UP WHEN REQUESTED. A flight attendant’s primary duty is to insure the safety of the passengers- not to serve you drinks, or make your life comfortable. First, no one wants to listen to your phone call. Second, it is hard to imagine something that urgent that you can’t wait. Finally, its the rule and that should be reason enough. Now I realize many people don’t like rules- witnesses the number of irresponsible drivers who don’t stop at stop signs. Ultimately, you can get thrown off the plane if you fail to comply-remember George Clooney.

I know I am going to get flack for saying these things, but I think people should know what others find annoying if they are unaware.

My number one would be the same as #1 Cowboys Fan's: Don't kick or push the back of my seat. Two, give that poor screaming baby, who probably has ear pressure, a bottle or pacifier! Three, when you recline your seat as far as it will go, you reduce the amount of space I have and make it difficult for me to maneuver. Four, If your arriving flight is running late, and you have a long layover at this airport, don't jump right up and wait in the aisle of the plane upon arrival when others behind you might have a chance to make their next flight if only they could get off the plane!

As to your "Don't stand in line at the toilet," if I see the green light on, ask others in my row to stand so I can get out, make my way down a long aisle to the toilet only to have someone else beat me to it, do you think I should go back to my seat, have everyone stand up to let me enter and do it all over again at the next green light?

Totally agree with your #4!

 

[Glynda]

How about the guy waaaay back in about 35C who as soon as the seat belt light goes out at the gate, moves into the aisle and rummages about pulling down carry-ons, jackets, etc only to stand there for 10 minutes while passengers deplane orderly from front to back. (note- I'm guilty of this)

As long as you are behind me and I don't have a short connection to make, no problem!

 

[PigsDad]

I agree with your list, but wanted to add a caveat on your first item.

1. DON’T GRAB MY SEAT! I don’t like people who think my seat (especially when sleeping) are something to grab or hang on to. Look at the flight attendants. They go up and down the aisle all the time but they don’t grab seat backs. They gain stability by moving their hands along the storage bins. Watch them-that’s how it is done. Other people grab the seats to get up from theirs or get into theirs. That too is mostly unnecessary. Lift up the side bar and slide into your seat or press against it to stand. If you have a window seat, have the others get up-leave my seat alone. It’s all a matter of technique.

I certainly try to avoid grabbing the seat in front of me when getting out of my seat, but being 6'5", if you have your seat reclined in front of me, I have no choice but to grab it when trying to get to the aisle. There simply isn't enough space to navigate w/o grabbing the seat or at the minimum, bumping into it. Sorry, just not possible (I've tried). I'll attempt to be as polite as possible, but if you don't want your seat grabbed or bumped, try not reclining it. JMHO.

Kurt

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

My #1 pet peevie - being seated next to a "spreader"*. Most of the time it's a man, but some of my worst experiences have been when seated next to a female spreaders.

-----
* Like a subway spreader. Someone who sits in their seats, then spreads their knees out so that their legs steal space from the neighboring seats. A spreader is quite different from a large person who physically fills their seat and more.

 

[Jimster]

I can appreciate that a tall person wouldn’t have an option trying to get out of a seat reclined in front of them. Of course, that is why i never recline my seat. Unbelieveably, some people recline their seat even before the plane moves. The fight attendant SHOULD have them bring it up to an upright position for take off- that’s the FAA rule.

I can also appreciate the person spreading out stealing space. Needless to say the armrest between me and the other passenger never goes up so that partially solves the problem. Recently, I had a man about 6’8” 380 pounds take the middle seat in my row. Obviously, I held my ground (what there was of it) but i wondered how important the trip must be to a person like that such that they took a middle seat. He obviously knew he would be terribly uncomfortable to say nothing of the people beside him.

 

[artringwald]

My pet peeve is the gate lice, the people that head for the boarding gate before their boarding group is called and you have to fight your way through them because your boarding group is ahead of theirs.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Recently, I had a man about 6’8” 380 pounds take the middle seat in my row. Obviously, I held my ground (what there was of it) but i wondered how important the trip must be to a person like that such that they took a middle seat. He obviously knew he would be terribly uncomfortable to say nothing of the people beside him.

I don't mind so much the person who is simply large, but does what they can to minimize the issue. I remember a flight from PVR to SAN, where I was in the middle seat, DW had the window, and a large person had the aisle seat, but despite best efforts he still took a slice of my space. (BTW - not obese at all. Simply a large person.). I held my ground (because DW enjoys her space), and we flew from PVR to SAN in direct physical contact the whole way.

That doesn't bother me nearly as much as the person (smaller than my PVR-SAN seatmate) who plops down and spreads their legs into my space. FWIW - in my experience, when the person in the seat next to me is male, when I "reclaim" my space, the readily adjust. That's close to 90% of the time. However, in the rare cases when the spreader is female, they have seemed to act as if I'm assaulting them when I don't cede my space to them.

 

[x3 skier]

Since I don’t fly commercial much anymore, I’ve decided to avoid coach if at all possible. After a lifetime of saving, First/Business Class is affordable (or via FF Miles) and enjoyable (except on the clapped out MD-80’s on DL and AA). Not much to complain about in the front of the boat.

The best is flying my own plane.

Cheers

 

[LannyPC]

How about the guy waaaay back in about 35C who as soon as the seat belt light goes out at the gate, moves into the aisle and rummages about pulling down carry-ons, jackets, etc only to stand there for 10 minutes while passengers deplane orderly from front to back. (note- I'm guilty of this)

I know it's not airplane etiquette but your pet peeve is a similarity to mine. When driving on the road reasonably within the speed limit, you have somebody tailgating you implying that you need to drive faster, only to have him/her speed past you at the next opportunity and then see him again at the next red light.

 

[Passepartout]

[Deleted] Not airplane 'peeve'

 

[AbelowDS]

Here are my 4

1. I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND. Other that a cordial hello, excuse me, etc., I don't want to hear your life story or talk with you for the next 6 hours. I'm not looking for new friends, so please just let me sit and read my book in peace.

2. DRINK RESPONSIBLY. It's wonderful that you're having a good time. Maybe this is your first flight; maybe you're just getting in the swing of things for your vacation; maybe you're just an alcoholic. But the last thing I want is your loud obnoxious behavior, shouting up and down aisles to your friends. Have your buzz but act like a responsible adult.

3a. USE YOUR SPACE AND NOT MINE. Like a few of you wrote above, wrestling over the arm rest, slouching with your legs spread into my space, and generally not knowing where your arms are swinging is just plain rude and inconsiderate. I include in this the people who KNOW how cramped things are, yet put their seats in the FULL reclining position. I once had my computer screen broken when someone flung back their chair. Be considerate; if you're cramped so is everyone else and you don't need to take up their breathing room. 3b. LOSE SOME WEIGHT. Sorry to offend, but this is not about prejudice. It's about thinking about others. If you're spilling over into my seat, you should have bought two seats. Can't afford it, don't fly. Do I care about your weight? No. Do I care that you're taking up almost half my seat, absolutely.

4. SPEND THE $25 AND CHECK THAT OVERSIZED BAG. Yes, you made it past everyone with a bag that is bigger than allowed. You squish it into the overhead compartment, not caring whose belongings you crush, not caring that you are using more space than was intended for you. And on the occasion when all the overhead space is used up, you piss and moan that you now need to gate-check the bag (even though you're getting it checked for free instead of for $25.)

 

[bbodb1]

Speaking of AbelowDS' #4, I'd like to see some airlines try the following: on a fairly popular route, offer one flight per day where NO carry on baggage is allowed EXCEPT for a woman's purse.
None at all.
Study the times required to board / deplane and compare them to other flights on the same route.
Survey the passengers to determine their reaction.

 

[Glynda]

My #1 pet peevie - being seated next to a "spreader"*. Most of the time it's a man, but some of my worst experiences have been when seated next to a female spreaders.

-----
* Like a subway spreader. Someone who sits in their seats, then spreads their knees out so that their legs steal space from the neighboring seats. A spreader is quite different from a large person who physically fills their seat and more.

Ah, yes! And why do all men seem to think that they are entitled to the arm rest?

 

[AJCts411]

Just my 2 cents worth, in my opinion MOST all of the pet peeves about space are caused by what I call "the race to the bottom", that is the race BY the airlines for the cheapest fares, and your business. The consequence is smaller seats, smaller pitch, fewer inflight services, over crowded bins, and most certainly creating a class of fliers "special fliers", the real annoying special ones, who demand first class services when they buy the cheapest fare going.

 

[Glynda]

I can appreciate that a tall person wouldn’t have an option trying to get out of a seat reclined in front of them. Of course, that is why i never recline my seat. Unbelieveably, some people recline their seat even before the plane moves. The fight attendant SHOULD have them bring it up to an upright position for take off- that’s the FAA rule.

I can also appreciate the person spreading out stealing space. Needless to say the armrest between me and the other passenger never goes up so that partially solves the problem. Recently, I had a man about 6’8” 380 pounds take the middle seat in my row. Obviously, I held my ground (what there was of it) but i wondered how important the trip must be to a person like that such that they took a middle seat. He obviously knew he would be terribly uncomfortable to say nothing of the people beside him.

I never recline my seat either. My husband is that guy that reclines as soon as he sits down and the attendant has to tell to bring it back up right before takeoff. Sigh. I prefer a window seat just so that I can lean into the recess a bit.

 

[Lydlady]

Is there a general etiquette rule about armrests? Like the armrest to your right? Also, I know there are "priority" groups for loading the plane, but other than that, doesn't it make sense to load from the back?

 

[klpca]

Ah, yes! And why do all men seem to think that they are entitled to the arm rest?

Exactly. The middle seat person gets the armrests. Male or female.

Personally I like looking out the window if it's not cloudy or dark (of course). So please don't *expect* me to put my shade down unless the sun is in your eyes. I chose that seat for a reason. I'm a reasonable person and if there's nothing to see I put it down automatically. But if we're flying over the Grand Canyon or the Alps, then I'll be looking out of the window.

 

[undrpar64]

Exactly. The middle seat person gets the armrests. Male or female.

Personally I like looking out the window if it's not cloudy or dark (of course). So please don't *expect* me to put my shade down unless the sun is in your eyes. I chose that seat for a reason. I'm a reasonable person and if there's nothing to see I put it down automatically. But if we're flying over the Grand Canyon or the Alps, then I'll be looking out of the window.

Is there a general etiquette rule about armrests? Like the armrest to your right? Also, I know there are "priority" groups for loading the plane, but other than that, doesn't it make sense to load from the back?

Is there a general etiquette rule about armrests? Like the armrest to your right? Also, I know there are "priority" groups for loading the plane, but other than that, doesn't it make sense to load from the back?

 

[Glynda]

Is there a general etiquette rule about armrests? Like the armrest to your right? Also, I know there are "priority" groups for loading the plane, but other than that, doesn't it make sense to load from the back?

Good rule on the armrest but that hasn't been my experience overall. I recall when, other than first and business class, boarding was from the rear first. When they changed it up for economy, I asked a flight attendant about it. I was told that people who boarded first, but were seated at the back, would put their carry on items in the bins closer to the front and then stop on the way out to get them down and that caused too many problems. Another of my peeves is when people take up most of the overhead bin space with items that could go under their seats.

 

[PigsDad]

My pet peeve is the gate lice, the people that head for the boarding gate before their boarding group is called and you have to fight your way through them because your boarding group is ahead of theirs.

And that is a benefit of flying Southwest -- no gate lice.

Kurt

 

[Glynda]

Exactly. The middle seat person gets the armrests. Male or female.

Personally I like looking out the window if it's not cloudy or dark (of course). So please don't *expect* me to put my shade down unless the sun is in your eyes. I chose that seat for a reason. I'm a reasonable person and if there's nothing to see I put it down automatically. But if we're flying over the Grand Canyon or the Alps, then I'll be looking out of the window.

If the rule is to the right, then the aisle seat would get two armrests, so that won't do. But I had never thought about the middle person getting both. Is that compensation for having to sit in the middle? Too bad so many, men mostly I've found, take both no matter which seat they are in.