Dealing with poor manners

[Rebekkap]

A few years ago I was travelling home from a trip to Asia and I was sitting in between my wife and this elderly lady (most likely in her eighties). Nice old lady she was and we chatted about her family and life in general blaaa , blaaaa blaaaa. Only problem was, as as soon as the lights dimmed she started passing the most deadly,putrid and silent wind . I couldn't say anything ( how can you tell an elderly lady her farts stink in a nice polite manner),and I could not do anything like request a move for the two of us ( full flight) but worst of all i am sure most people thought it was me.

This is why I always carry a small bottle of lavendar oil that I can apply liberally to a tissue and hold to my nose. Has also saved my life on a train in Thailand, when I needed the bathroom!

 

[djh53]

Is the seat width or pitch or both greater on DJ/VA aircraft?

I haven't done measurements, but the seats on a Virgin 777 seem wider. Most importantly, there appears to be MUCH more room between seats compared to a QF 747B.

Dunno about pitch, but there was never a problem with the person in front on either of the two MEL-LAX flights I've taken using Virgin premium economy to the US.

Subjectively, the Virgin seat was much more comfortable for me than the 747B seat. Virgin's 777 also has much better lighting and entertainment systems.

Dunno how the A380 compares - never flown one.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think if it's less than a four hour flight, during the day, they should also be beaten. Yesterday flying BNE-MEL in the first row of Y, the guy in front of me in the last row of J reclined his seat before they'd even served breakfast. I asked the FA to ask him to put it back up while I ate - he did but then reclined again immediately afterwards.

It's a two hour flight, and you have a spare seat next to you in J - I'm in a full row of 3 in Y, have some damn consideration. The really annoying thing was that he wasn't even leaning back most of the time - he was leaning forwards doing something on his tray table. It's like he was just reclining to be an a***hole.

But plus one to the idea that NC headphones were invented so you don't have to listen to other people. My other half calls them "child cancelling headphones".

I disagree on this. Anyone has the right to recline during non meal periods (and when not prevented on safety grounds). I have reclined seats on even the shortest flights simply because the seat pitch is tight and I need the extra room to stretch out. If any passenger doesn't like this they can purchase seats on an airline without recline (if available), book an exit row seat, pay the premium for a premium cabin, or travel by other means.

It is not a First or business class passenger's responsibility to keep those in economy comfortable.

I recently had a guy in front of me fully recline his seat after he had finished his meal on a flight from SYD to LAX. I had also finished my meal but sat in disbelief as his seat came crashing down on my tray! As suggested in this thread, I politely asked him to put his tray up. His response was "oh you are still eating?" He did put his seat back up and was actually apologetic and we had no further problems. It was apparent that this was his first time on a plane.

I dont know how this could be accomplished but maybe a bit of flight etiquitte education could be introduced by the airlines as my experience has been that many individuals with NIL or little flight experience just dont know how to behave on a plane...

once the passenger behind has finished eating - then I don't see a reason why the seat in front should be kept upright. I would like to think passengers put their seats upright once trays have been collected and everyone is trying to get out to go to the bathroom. But otherwise, why not recline? As per the above - there are options if any passenger is unhappy about this.

 

[FirstClass]

m minded of the old saying, "if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas".
People pay a good deal of money to buy J & F tickets with precisely the objective of minimising the possibility of suffering the disgusting sights, sounds and smells of the hoi polloi.
Nope, it's not for the better grog, the slightly more attentive service and certainly not for the 'cuisine'.
It's for a bed you can actually go to sleep in and so pretend you're not really crammed into a sardine can with the unwashed and unmannerly masses.
It's why people drive to work instead of cabbing it or cab it instead of riding a bus or train.
The solution to the problem is to achieve sufficient wealth so as to afford the insulation provided by an F 'suite' or a charter.
'twas ever thus..

 

[JohnM]

Or you could have gone to sleep. Sense of smell doesn't work when we sleep (thats why we have smoke detectors)

Nor do eyes, so you could have gone back to sleep for the morning stretching by randy-man :mrgreen:. And it wasn't me - at least that time :mrgreen: .

 

[medhead]

A few years ago I was travelling home from a trip to Asia and I was sitting in between my wife and this elderly lady (most likely in her eighties). Nice old lady she was and we chatted about her family and life in general blaaa , blaaaa blaaaa. Only problem was, as as soon as the lights dimmed she started passing the most deadly,putrid and silent wind . I couldn't say anything ( how can you tell an elderly lady her farts stink in a nice polite manner),and I could not do anything like request a move for the two of us ( full flight) but worst of all i am sure most people thought it was me.

My kids always say "he who smelt it dealt it" but maybe you could have offered to let her sit in the aisle seat so you and your wife could sit together, then she could have gone to the bathroom without asking anyone to move? Or you could have gone to sleep. Sense of smell doesn't work when we sleep (thats why we have smoke detectors)

I'm sorry old person alert. They're old and worn out. no doubt her nose had failed years ago along with her lower muscle control. Basically, she had no way to know it was her.....

 

[straitman]

Unfortunately it's just part of flying. There are some people with highly annoying habits, and if you fly enough chances are you'll score one of them from time to time.

Then there's the bloke who'll watch 14 episodes of Two and a half Men and piss himself laughing loudly and continually. This bloke is usually half-cut, and when he eventually goes to sleep, you know he'll be a snorer.

Makes the flight pretty ordinary, but not much you can do really.

This sounds like you are targeting me except I watch real comedy rather than Two and a half Men. :shock:

 

[jmacpher]

I have to say many of these habits are annoying, but IMHO not worth the aggravation of saying anything on a short flight. Those nasal sounds are the worst - sometimes part of an allergy problem sometimes just plain bad habit but oh so disgusting. I just put in the NC earphones. On a recent long haul flight the guy in front kept stretching and putting his hands over the back of the seat and across my in seat screen. After about 5 hours I asked politely if he could stop as I was trying to watch a movie. It helped but he was so accustomed to doing this that it recurred regularly throughout the entire flight. Oh for enough money to charter!

 

[Nanday]

It depends on the degree and type of disturbance. Mostly ignoring them works for me, using things such as earphones and leaning away, closing my eyes or pulling my collar up so my face is partly covered. I once sat beside a woman who pulled a blanket completely over her head when I sat next to her and stayed under it for the whole 3 hours. That worked to shut me out (not that I wanted to talk to her anyway).

If it's intolerable, as in smells, sounds, etc., ask if you can be moved to any other seat and explain why to the crew in a reasonable and calm manner. I once sat next to a woman who stank of garlic, and was obviously terrified of flying because as soon as we took off she started to chew at her fingers until they were bleeding. I felt nauseous and left my seat and found a crew member. I explained that her smell was making me feel ill (didn't mention the bloody fingers) but unfortunately there was only one seat unoccupied - next to the toilets. I took it anyway because the alternative was much worse. On long haul flights (Australia to LA for instance), the crew doesn't mind if you move around after take off and find somewhere else to sit if the plane is not full.

 

[TheEmu]

I once almost came to blows with a very angry Englishman - nothing against the English per se (my father was one) but we had just boarded a DragonAir flight PVG-HK so we both stood out a little from the locals. The flight was only half full so boarding was pretty relaxed.
This fellow was seated in the row ahead of me but just as I lifted my bag into the overhead locker, he slammed his seat back into the reclined position. The seat hit me in the side, mid-torso, knocking me off balance. With my arms above my head at that point I lost control of the bag, which fell on his head and I landed on the floor in the aisle. He was obviously aware that I was there as he had replied to my greeting with a scowl. His language was fairly uncivil but I left him in no doubt that if he wanted an Ashes-level stoush I was quite happy to accommodate him!
After disembarking in HK I last saw him charging up the walkway with his two cabin rollers and push between a couple in front of him who had been sauntering up holding hands! An incredibly rude fellow.
Interestingly, when I heard him speaking to the FAs during the flight he spoke pleasantly and very politely to them.

 

[TheScotsman]

Flying GVA to LHR for work one time I sat beside a fairly attractive, petite, fragrant swiss woman in Economy (my employers were cheapos) we exchanged brief pleasantries as we sat down and no further interaction occurred
- then suddenly midway through the flight she planted an unaccidental elbow into my side with vitriolic fury!
No warning, no nudging to share the armrest, nothing.

It was so hard it would be assault under most people's terms - especially an airline - but can you imagine a 6ft Scotsman complaining about a petite Swiss woman on a plane?
I asked her what her response would have been if I had done that to her, my theory is that after a complaint the plane would have landed at nearest airport and I'd have been in jail.
I ignored it for the rest of the flight but anytime the topic of flight manners comes up it always resurfaces in my mind.

 

[auspal]

I dont have a problem with seats being reclined at any time, except for take-off, meals and landing. We have flown from Sydney to Brisbane at the end of a 30 hour overseas journey and been very tired. Not everyone gets on the plane as fresh as a daisy. I can remember being seated next to two sisters on a flight from Brisbane to LA. I was seated next to the window. When I stood to go to the ladies, they just moved their legs so I had to clamber over them. A few hours later, I politely asked them if they would mind standing. It seemed to be a huge problem for them.

 

[Rebekkap]

I disagree on this. Anyone has the right to recline during non meal periods (and when not prevented on safety grounds). I have reclined seats on even the shortest flights simply because the seat pitch is tight and I need the extra room to stretch out. If any passenger doesn't like this they can purchase seats on an airline without recline (if available), book an exit row seat, pay the premium for a premium cabin, or travel by other means.

It is not a First or business class passenger's responsibility to keep those in economy comfortable.




once the passenger behind has finished eating - then I don't see a reason why the seat in front should be kept upright. I would like to think passengers put their seats upright once trays have been collected and everyone is trying to get out to go to the bathroom. But otherwise, why not recline? As per the above - there are options if any passenger is unhappy about this.

And you've got a perfect right to eat with your fingers and chew with your mouth open too - but no-one's going to want to eat dinner with you. And I don't have the option of traveling in business - work won't let us, and the exit rows on a 744 don't noticeably give you any extra room.

 

[amaroo]

I dont have a problem with seats being reclined at any time, except for take-off, meals and landing.

+ 1 to that. Seats are designed to recline therefore, with a little common sense (see above) no one should have issues. If they do - I would argue they are the ones that have poor manners!

 

[mannej]

Reclining while someone is eating behind you is just bad manners, not a safety issue.

Just saying if you were in the front row of Y wouldn't your table be in the arm rest and not the seat in front of you.

 

[Rebekkap]

Just saying if you were in the front row of Y wouldn't your table be in the arm rest and not the seat in front of you.

Not on a 744, no.

 

[Canny man]

To add to the list of in-flight irritants:

The drummer boy (for it is usually male) who taps out the rythm of his music with feet or hands hard enough to be felt
The pen clicker. Deep in concentration doing soduko/crossword or word search (bogan option)
The stabber (a new one discovered recently) who thinks that touch screen means prod screen and constantly pokes the screen on the back of your seat
The gamer. Plays an inertia controlled game on their idevice involving sharp movements, flying elbows and constant seat shifting while next to you
The evangelical (fortunately only encountered once) who uses the opportunity of having you trapped to 'save' you

 

[JohnCarrWestwood]

I disagree on this. Anyone has the right to recline during non meal periods (and when not prevented on safety grounds). I have reclined seats on even the shortest flights simply because the seat pitch is tight and I need the extra room to stretch out. If any passenger doesn't like this they can purchase seats on an airline without recline (if available), book an exit row seat, pay the premium for a premium cabin, or travel by other means.

It is not a First or business class passenger's responsibility to keep those in economy comfortable.




once the passenger behind has finished eating - then I don't see a reason why the seat in front should be kept upright. I would like to think passengers put their seats upright once trays have been collected and everyone is trying to get out to go to the bathroom. But otherwise, why not recline? As per the above - there are options if any passenger is unhappy about this.

Along with your "rights" go responsibilities that include not being an cough towards other people. The plane would be a better place if recliners checked with the person behind and gave them a little notice that the seat would be reclined . Good manners never killed anyone but Ill bet bad manners did

 

[serfty]

I haven't done measurements, but the seats on a Virgin 777 seem wider. Most importantly, there appears to be MUCH more room between seats compared to a QF 747B.

Dunno about pitch, but there was never a problem with the person in front on either of the two MEL-LAX flights I've taken using Virgin premium economy to the US.

Subjectively, the Virgin seat was much more comfortable for me than the 747B seat. Virgin's 777 also has much better lighting and entertainment systems.

Dunno how the A380 compares - never flown one.

Definitely not subjective - QF 744 economy seats have ~2cm less width and ~2½cm less 'pitch' than VA 777's.

 

[freepyjamas]

I dont have a problem with seats being reclined at any time, except for take-off, meals and landing. We have flown from Sydney to Brisbane at the end of a 30 hour overseas journey and been very tired. Not everyone gets on the plane as fresh as a daisy.

I guess this is where we will fundamentally disagree. I've gotten onto a SYD-MEL daytime flight after 25 hours in Y from London. Splitting headache. No sleep. Felt like cough. BUT, I know reclining my seat will make the person's life behind me more uncomfortable, so I don't do it. Why should I make my life a little more comfortable at the direct expense of the person right behind me? Because I'm special or something?

When you're in a group, it's not all about you.