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Russell D
4th March 2009, 07:53 AM
Not much of a gossip junkie but this article caught my eye on the Yahoo7 homepage:

From New Idea: http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/b/new-idea/22197/come-fly-with-me/

Come fly with me!
Mar 03 10:36am

Flying is more popular than ever. It used to be just the lucky few who took to the skies. A clique known as ‘the jetset’ were the only ones fortunate enough to be able to discover faraway lands.

In the days when Frank Sinatra crooned Come Fly with Me, only the very wealthy could afford to travel on such exotic paths as Qantas’ now-defunct Fiesta Route to London via Tahiti, Mexico City and Bermuda. But now, with more competition in the skies, and so many improvements in manufacturing that have made technology cheaper, air travel is much more affordable.

With more of us flying, plane etiquette has become all the more important. There are unspoken rules once you’ve stowed your carry-on luggage and put on your seatbelt. Get the lowdown with these helpful hints and you’ll avoid sticky situations.

Kicking seats
Flying is stressful enough without the little tacker behind you pounding on the back of your seat. The best way to address the problem it is to politely ask their mother, father or guardian: ‘Do you mind asking him to stop kicking my seat? I’d love to have a sleep.’ If the child doesn’t stop after your initial plea, then ask the adult if they’d be willing to swap seats with the child.

Hogging the armrest
Ideally, you and your seatmate should take turns using the armrest, and you shouldn’t ‘spill over’ into one another’s space. If you think the armrest is being hogged and you feel cramped, stake your claim to it while your seatmate is away from their seat and hold your position.

Moving around
If you have a weak bladder or plan to roam the aisles every hour for some exercise, make sure you get an aisle seat. There’s nothing more annoying than having to wake from a snooze half a dozen times to let your window-seat neighbour through. When walking through the cabin, don’t hold the back of the seat in front of you – it can jar the person sitting there. Do what the flight attendants do – steady yourself on the luggage compartments above your head, not the seat backs.

Reclining gracefully
Don’t recline your seat back as soon as you board. Once it’s OK to recline, do so slowly
as the person behind you may be leaning forward trying to retrieve something from their bag, or may have a drink on their tray. If you prefer more space, do your best when booking to choose an aisle or exit row seat for extra wriggle room.

Getting off
You don’t need to stand up straight away after landing. It takes ground staff a few minutes to align the aerobridge or stairway. Wait until the aisle thins out a bit before retrieving your overhead luggage, especially if you have more than one piece.

What they don’t tell you!
One airline insider tells us that some airlines rarely wash the blankets provided to passengers unless there are visible stains on them. So it may pay to take your own blanket or pashmina with you on the flight.

BEFORE YOU FLY

Know the best seats
Find out the exact dimensions of every seat on all commercial planes on such websites
as www.seatexpert.com, www.seatguru.com and www.seatplans.com. They even map out which seats you should always avoid.

Get the inside scoop
New online watchdog website InsideTrip has created the travel industry’s first quality score for every airline itinerary. It rates each flight by price, speed and comfort. Simply type in where you’re flying from and to and your dates and they’ll rate what’s available. Visit www.insidetrip.com.

Know the best meals
Websites such as www.airguideonline.com review airline meals. Photos and reviews of meals are available at www.airlinemeals.net. Always inform the airline of any special dietary requirements when you book your ticket.

What are your views on the stuff laid out in bold (especially the one regarding blankets)?

Dan Collins
4th March 2009, 08:57 AM
The blankets?! Eeeew! :eek:

I can only really add to the one about standing up straight away after landing. The funniest I saw of this was in China, I think we had landed at Hangzhou and no sooner had we departed the runway everyone got up and started getting their luggage etc. We still hadn't attached to the AirBridge and the aisle was full of Chinese people anxious to get off... Unbelievable. I should've taken a photo!

I'd much rather sit back and wait. Maybe even just relax a little longer. But obviously people have different priorities!

Dan

Sarah C
4th March 2009, 09:27 AM
"You don’t need to stand up straight away after landing."

That is the biggest one I don't understand. Everyone gets up, rushes for thier bag (and mobiles) and then stand in the aisle for another 5 minutes before moving.

NickN
4th March 2009, 09:37 AM
If people didn't all rush and stand up quickly the aircraft would empty much quicker, if only they understood that.

Graham B
4th March 2009, 11:54 AM
But if everybody waited then no one would ever get off the plane :confused::rolleyes:

Always thought the best way would be to wait till the people in the row in front of you got up and left it would be a lot quicker

Benjo

Brendon I.
4th March 2009, 02:30 PM
"You don’t need to stand up straight away after landing."

That is the biggest one I don't understand. Everyone gets up, rushes for thier bag (and mobiles) and then stand in the aisle for another 5 minutes before moving.

I totally agree. They are usually the same people that start herding around the gate before they even make a boarding announcement. Also the ones who like to board out of order, ie when staff call for boarding by row number. Fascinating to watch.

David Ramsay
4th March 2009, 05:23 PM
They are usually the same people that start herding around the gate before they even make a boarding announcement.

First on gets the overhead luggage bins. Last on has no leg room due to bags under seat in front. :rolleyes:

Russell D
5th March 2009, 09:09 AM
I was on a QF flight back from Hong Kong to Sydney a few months ago when upon landing everyone stood up as soon as we vacated the runway. The QF crew tried to get most pax to return to their seats, however many of the pax ignored instructions. I personally couldn't beleive what I was seeing.

Upon arriving at the gate, the crew delayed the unboarding by giving everyone a little disciplinary talk. One of the FA visited a pax near me and explained to him "that was very dangerous to stand up sir when the plane is still moving and the seatbelt sign is on. You need to remain seated. Don't you do that ever again." The pax (of Chinese/HK background), and I don't mean to stereotype here (just reporting the facts which happened) replied "Sorry, me no speak English, ok?" And with that he was gone. :eek:

I remember thinking that had there been a way of doing so, the crew should have made him remain on the aircraft and fly him back to HK where he came from :mad:.

Adam P.
5th March 2009, 10:14 AM
Brings to mind the old (probably made-up) story of pax on a flight SYD-BNE (or insert any two ports) that got to BNE when FAs heard the tell-tale clickclickclick as people undid their seatbelts before they got to the gate.

"We told you not to do that.... now we're going to have to go all the way back to Sydney to try it again!"


In all seriousness though (for once), there's a good reason for keeping in your seat until the seatbelt sign comes off (usually signifying chocks are in). It's not unknown for aircraft to suffer hydraulic failures that take out the brake system... on one occasion last year the aeroplane parked itself in a ditch beside the apron. Would have been entertaining if anyone was standing at the time.

Ryan N
5th March 2009, 07:07 PM
I remember thinking that had there been a way of doing so, the crew should have made him remain on the aircraft and fly him back to HK where he came from :mad:.

Too right!! I'm of Asian background and I even complain about how impatient many people are, especially on Asian flights. Like you, I've seen situations where pax got off their seats before the plane has come to a stop. It's not only dangerous, but rude.

Gareth Forwood
5th March 2009, 08:01 PM
I remember coming back on Virgin Atlantic from HK, the pilot made an announcement saying that the cleaning crew were short-staffed, and could passengers please volunteer to help clean the plane by standing before the seatbelt signs were off... no one stood (at least in my section of economy)

Owen H
5th March 2009, 08:29 PM
I don't know about if you find a blanket on a domestic flight, but international flights they always take the blankets away, and they come back nicely packaged in plastic for the next flight.

Rhys Xanthis
6th March 2009, 12:04 AM
I don't know about if you find a blanket on a domestic flight, but international flights they always take the blankets away, and they come back nicely packaged in plastic for the next flight.

Not cleaned? :confused:

Robert S
6th March 2009, 12:56 AM
Always thought the best way would be to wait till the people in the row in front of you got up and left it would be a lot quicker

But then you get the people who take five minutes to pack up and feel the need to stand in the ailse to do so! It doesn't occur to them to just not bother until people behind have left the aircraft. :mad:

David Ramsay
6th March 2009, 07:16 AM
Blankets are bad enough but have you ever used a headset on a domestic flight in the USA? It's been used by a dozen other people before you. :eek:

I always carry my own headset with me.

NickN
6th March 2009, 07:55 AM
Just watch a few episodes of Border Security..... just about every other person being searched and having illegal food etc is from an asian country. I know they love to bring comfort food from home with them for their stay here because it is hard to source sometimes, but it happens so often you think extra precautions would be taken when screening the baggage before it even left the home country.

Andrew P
6th March 2009, 08:08 AM
Just watch a few episodes of Border Security..... just about every other person being searched and having illegal food etc is from an asian country. I know they love to bring comfort food from home with them for their stay here because it is hard to source sometimes, but it happens so often you think extra precautions would be taken when screening the baggage before it even left the home country.

it is not illegal to bring in food into Australia, it only must be declared, so you cannot screen back in the home country. Sure some will be confiscated, but it is still legal bring it in,

I regularly bring in dried fish for the wife, only requirement is the head's are cut off and the guts taken out. No problem

also bring in Bagoong (It is made by salting and fermenting the bonnet mouth fish) it stinks, but again no problem,

Banjo

the ones being caught are the passengers not declaring it