Once You're Seated: Three Small Courtesies
Published by FlyingWith1 min readText updated
Airline and government rules change. Check your airline's current rules before you travel.
Quick answer
Bring your seat upright while the person behind you is eating, don't take it personally when turbulence stops the hot drinks, and keep your seat belt loosely fastened whenever you're sitting.
In this guide(3)
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Three small things, once you're in your seat, that make the flight easier for the people around you — and safer for you.
Part of: Flying for the First Time, Flying with Anxiety, Flying for Business
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Upright while the row behind you is eating
If you've reclined your seat, bring it upright while the person behind you is eating. Their tray table is attached to your seat area, and reclining takes away a significant amount of their already limited space. Once the trays are collected, recline again if you want. It's a small courtesy.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Why hot drinks stop in turbulence
If the crew stops serving hot drinks because of turbulence, don't take it personally. Coffee and tea can become genuinely dangerous when an aircraft suddenly drops or jolts. Turbulence can happen unexpectedly, even when the sky looks clear. A cup of very hot liquid that is perfectly manageable on a smooth flight can become a burn injury in a second. The same applies to a flight attendant walking through the cabin holding a pot of hot coffee. So when the crew says they can't serve you a coffee right now, there's a reason, and it's not the one people assume. They're waiting until it's safe to put something hot in your hands.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Keep the belt loosely fastened
And keep your seat belt loosely fastened whenever you're sitting, even when the sign is off. Turbulence doesn't always send an invitation first.
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Flying for the First TimeRelated guides
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- A Pre-Flight Checklist for Nervous FlyersA step-by-step checklist for anxious flyers, from the week before to your seat, with what the FAA says about turbulence.