The Simple Etiquette You're Not Following On Airplanes (and You Should Be!)

Lots of people fly to and from Disney World. Sometimes those flights are short — only an hour or two — while other people flying from across the country, or to ANOTHER country, could be on a plane for over 5 or 6 hours.

Frontier Plane at the Orlando Airport

When you’re flying, you have to be close to a lot of people you don’t know, and you’re trying to be respectful of those around you but also attempt to get as comfortable as possible. There’s a major debate that comes to using the reclining feature at your seat that we think should be common courtesy, but a lot of people aren’t doing it.

Since those airplane seats are made to recline, it’s easy to think that you’re able to just throw them back and recline whenever you’d like. However, this means the person behind you suddenly has less room than they were expecting, unless they also have their seat reclined. This is especially true in economy, where the seats are closest together.

Southwest

Now, since your seat DOES recline, yes, you can certainly use that feature, and no one is saying you shouldn’t. It’s especially acceptable to recline when the cabin lights are out or it’s not mealtime. However, it’s important to remember other people around you and how YOU would feel if someone reclined the seat in front of you. This is especially true if the person behind me is using their laptop, and their computer could suddenly be stuck or crushed by the reclining seat.

Tray Table

So what’s the solution? Well, it’s simple — just take a quick look behind you and who’s sitting there and see if it’s okay to ask them if you can use the recline feature. We know, we know, talking to strangers is scary and often uncomfortable, but it’s a small price to pay for making sure you don’t accidentally spark intense resentment from the person behind you for your whole flight.

Southwest Cabin

If you can ask them if it’s okay to recline, great, but if you notice they’re sleeping already, don’t disturb them. If they’re using their tray table in one way or another, it’s especially important to ask, because it will affect them with no doubt. Now, if you’re able to catch their eye and they look up from your activity and can ask them, go for it! It’s very likely they’ll move their laptop or tablet quickly, then put it back in place once you’ve reclined.

American Airlines Plane

While there are certainly people in the world who will be honest with you and will tell you if reclining is not okay, we think there’s a larger portion of the population that either genuinely won’t mind it, or they’ll say it’s fine even if it’ll secretly annoy them. HOWEVER, by still asking them, you’ve given them the opportunity to say no, and simultaneously given them the heads up for what’s about to happen, so you’ve done your part.

More Recent Travel News!

We have members of our team who are flying very frequently and keeping us updated on what they’re seeing and experiencing, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest travel news, tips, and tricks!