Not everyone is a fan of flying and long flights can be especially painful if there are passengers who are being rude to others on board and to the flight attendants who are trying to make the flight as relaxing as possible.
Surprisingly, there seems to be a lack of common courtesies when it comes to being on a plane. Passengers acting entitled with flight attendants or constantly abusing the call button for unnecessary things is annoying and downright disrespectful. When mealtime rolls around, it's suggested you not put your seat back so that the passenger behind you can eat their meal properly. And please, let's not take shoes and socks off so passengers can see your bare feet.
However, it's not just the inappropriate acts passengers make on a flight that can make it unbearable. There are millions of germs lingering in the plane, so touching things like the window or tray table excessively can pose a hazard to your health.
Thankfully, we've come up with a list of 20 things people do on flights (airlines don't advise) so that travelers can be prepared the next time they must get on a plane.
20 Boarding Before Your Group Number Is Called
Every person who is boarding a plane is given a group number which tells them when they are allowed to board. Unless you are a priority member of the airline or paid a little extra to board first, you'll need to wait like everyone else until your group number is called. It never works to sneak into a group that is called before your's since you'll just end up holding everyone back and look like a fool.
19 Sit Motionlessly
Long flights are exhausting and with not much room to move around, your body can end up feeling achy. If travelers are expecting long flights, it's advised to walk through the aisle every few hours to prevent restless legs, and consider wearing compression socks or leggings to help reduce leg swelling, discomfort and blood clots from forming.
18 Touching Things Excessively
It's hard not to touch the things around you when you are stuck in an airline seat for hours. According to Smarter Travel, airports and airlines are very dirty with the most uncleanliness things being your tray table, bathrooms, seatbelts, overhead air vents, and window shades. Consider carrying disinfecting wipes in your bag and clean off some of these things before settling in your seat.
17 Eating Smelly Food
Please don't bring along any food that has a pungent or strong smell aboard a plane. The passengers next to you and around you will have to smell your stinky food and it's just plain rude. Passengers who bring cheeseburgers or foods with heavy garlic or fishy aroma will face some sort of confrontation or glares, so best not to pack them.
16 Playing Games Without Turning The Sound Off
Don't forget to bring your headphones if you are planning on playing games or listening to music on your phone or any other larger electronic device. It's extremely rude to leave the sound on with passengers around you hearing the jingles or sound effects from a game you are playing. If you don't have headphones, simply turn the sound off!
15 Going Barefoot
Taking your shoes off on a long flight to feel a little more relaxed is quite alright, but taking off your shoes and your socks is a flight no-go! There are way too many horrifying photos showing passenger's legs stretched with their feet out or in the air and photos showing people using their feet to even touch the screen's. Please don't ever consider going barefoot and using the space as if you were in your own living room.
14 Consuming Too Many Beverages
Whether you are flying out to Las Vegas or Cancun, you don't need to start your trip by drinking heavily on your flight. While there is no fixed number of drinks flight attendants are allowed to serve, travelers should drink responsibility, especially since you're on a plane, not in a night club. If you are drinking, make sure you packed snacks and every time you have a drink, have at least as much water, reports The Points Guy.
13 Touching Flight Attendants
Flight attendants are your first line of safety in an emergency and are there you help passengers feel calm and comfortable. There is no need to touch a flight attendant to get their attention. If you need something, either wait until they come down the aisle or simply get up from your seat and politely ask for it. Touching cabin crew is just inappropriate, so keep your hands to yourself.
12 Considering Tea Or Coffee
Sorry coffee or tea drinkers, but according to a new study, passengers should avoid drinking any liquid that involves hot water because it can contain harmful bacteria. The Hunter College study found that one in eight airplanes nationwide did not meet their standards for water safety and that 12 percent of commercial planes tested positive for fecal bacteria in the tap water supply.
11 Using The Airplane Headphones
According to Bright Side, travelers are better off bringing their own headphones because the ones passengers are given, despite being in little plastic bags, are not new. Between flights, these leftover headphones get cleaned and repacked, but it can be hard to even clean them properly.
10 Eating Directly Off The Tray Table
The dirtiest thing on an airplane is, in fact, your tray table. According to Escape Here, next to human skin, bacteria love to cling on to plastic. With sugary drinks spilled on tray tables, dirty diapers parents place on them and children who haven't washed their hands in hours, a tray table is filled with germs and bacteria. Now doesn't this picture make you cringe?
9 Trying New Medication For The First Time
Smarter Travel suggests that passengers never use a medicine in flight that you haven't taken in the past. Would you want to cause an emergency thousands of feet in the air or find out that you are allergic to your new medication? If you are taking a certain medicine for the first time, avoid doing so on a plane.
8 Letting Your Children Run Wild
A plane is not a playground for small children. Do not let your kids run wild on a plane so that passengers either wind up extremely annoyed or uncomfortable thinking about a small child hurting themselves while running up and down the aisle. Parents should pack necessary items to keep their kids entertained aboard a flight so that they aren't bothering other passengers.
7 Making Inappropriate Jokes That Can Make You A Security Risk
Mentioning anything that has to do with explosives or a joke that you have a deadly and spreadable virus will not only get you kicked off a plane, but you could be facing some serious consequences. In 2014, a passenger aboard a plane flying to the Dominic Republic caused authorities to isolate an entire plane and its passengers after he yelled out that he went to Africa and got Ebola.
6 Acting Entitled With Flight Attendants
A flight attendants' first priority is your safety, so don't think you can act entitled and boss them around. They are not on the flight to cater to your every need but they will do whatever they can to make you feel comfortable on a long flight. Treat them as you would anyone else, and be polite!
5 Shooting Evil Glances At Parents Of Crying Babies
Parents are dealing with enough pressure when they take their young children on a plane, so don't give them evil glares when their children start crying. Instead of glaring, see if you can help the situation, writes Huffington Post. Parents are already exhausted and shooting mean glances will only make matters worse.
4 Don't Be Rude And Recline Your Seat During Mealtime
There is always constant debate about whether passengers should recline their seats so they aren't rude to the passenger behind them. However, one thing travelers should avoid doing is reclining their seat during mealtime. It's only courteous that you put your seat back to its upright position when you see flight attendants serving food and drinks.
3 Don't Abuse The Call Button
Unless it is an emergency, why would you abuse the call button? Flight attendants are not going to be at your utter disposal, so be patient and wait until they walk down the aisle. However, if you are feeling ill and the passenger next to you is asleep, feel free to hit the button.
2 Putting A Bag In The Overhead Compartment If It Can Fit Under Your Seat
Don't be that passenger that needs to put smaller items like backpacks or coats in the overhead compartment. You are taking up space for passengers that have rolling suitcases and it becomes a huge fuss for flight attendants to rearrange items and figure out who owns which item. Travelers have ample amounts of room under the seat in front of them.
1 Trying To Disembark Before The People Ahead Of You
Why do passengers always feel the need to eagerly jump ahead and try to exit the plane before the people ahead of them? Unless you are about to miss a flight, you should wait patiently for your turn to disembark the plane, plain and simple.
Sources: smartertravel.com, thepointsguy.com, independent.co.uk, brightside.me, escapehere.com, huffpost.com