Influencer’s extensive list of plane etiquette rules reignites age-old debate
A travel influencer has shared an extensive list of what you should and shouldn’t do on a plane, reigniting an age-old debate about in-flight etiquette.
Ben Keenan, a frequent traveller from Seattle in the US, posted his list of dos and don’ts in a now-viral TikTok, saying it is “disgusting” for a passenger to take off their shoes and you should always check behind before reclining your seat.
Keenan begins his list with his least controversial point, saying travellers should always greet their flight attendants when boarding the plane, pointing out that it costs nothing to be friendly and polite.
He then broaches the topic of taking off your shoes on a plane, which was met with mixed responses.
“Do not take off your shoes or socks when you’re sitting in your seat, you disgusting people,” he said.
He went on to urge people not to pick an aisle seat if you plan on sleeping through your journey.
“When selecting your seat before the flight, go ahead and determine what type of flyer you are. Are you someone that sleeps or are you someone that’s awake?” he said.
“Because if you’re on an aisle seat, you need to be prepared to stand up and move out of the way multiple times during the flight – and I know this sucks but that truly means that you should not be a sleeper.”
He continued, “Speaking of sleeping on the plane, if you’re going to recline your seat to do that, go ahead and make sure the people behind you aren’t resting their head on your seat or using that tray table because do you know how many times I’ve been smashed in the head by somebody who just aggressively leans back.”
Keenan’s list of etiquette rules was met with a mixed response, with people both praising and criticising certain unspoken rules.
“Nope … definitely taking my shoes off! And I’m not turning back to check … I will recline gently though,” one traveller said.
“If it is a long flight, shoes are allowed to come off (8+ hours),” another wrote.
One flyer agreed with Keenan’s rules, admitting, “I approach every flight like I'm being graded, and the flight attendants will give me an A+ for my flight etiquette.”
Another bemused viewer put it simply, writing, “I’ve never flown but this all seems like common sense?”
Image credits: TikTok