As a business traveler, you know all too well the things that first time fliers, leisure travelers, and inconsiderate people do that annoy you to no end.  If you have decided to take your family on your next business trip as a prelude to your annual family vacation, perhaps it will be best to go over a few ground rules with them so as to not infringe on the comfort of other travelers.  You may not be able to control other people, but you can take comfort in the idea that your family won’t be the most despised people on the plane. Here are our best travel tips for having impeccable manners on the plane.

How To Get Into And Out Of Your Seat Properly.

This seems like a no-brainer, but we both know it is not.  The majority of people do not know how to enter and exit their seat without annoying the person seated in front of them.

Once finding their row of seats, the majority of passengers automatically want to grab the back of seat in front of them as they make their way to the window seat.  Similarly, during the flight, when they need to get up to stretch their legs or use the facilities, the first thing they do is grab the seat in front of them to hoist themselves up and out.  This can be particularly maddening if you’ve fallen asleep and find yourself rudely awakened by this inconsiderate move.

Solution:  To get out of your seat, slightly turn in your seat (either left or right), put your hand, palm facing down, on the head of your seat (left hand if you’ve turned toward the left, right hand if you’ve turned toward the right), and lift yourself up.  Easy peasy.  If you are sitting in the window or middle seat, continue to place your palm on the headrest of the seats in your row, if necessary, for balance.  It is not necessary to pull or grab the seats in  front of you to maintain balance.  When sitting down, follow the same steps in reverse.

How To Properly Pick Up Something.

How upset do you get when you are sitting in your aisle seat and out of nowhere, without warning, a big behind appears in your face?  Someone has dropped their book under their seat and without thinking, they turn and bend over at the waist to get their item, completely clueless to the fact that their fanny is occupying the better half of your seat space.

Solution:  If you’ve dropped something, turn so that your body is facing parallel, not perpendicular to your seat, then bend at the knees to find your item.  This way you  are not infringing on anyone’s personal space with your bum.  Enough said.

How To Exercise At Your Seat.

If you are taking a long flight, you undoubtedly be faced with the aisle exerciser.  That’s the person who likes to exercise in the aisle, doing yoga  and stretching without care or concern that you are personally bothered by the fact that their Warrior II pose will transition to their hands into your eyes should you encounter the unexpected turbulence  that the captain mentioned earlier.

Solution:  There are many  exercises that can be at your seat.  However, should you feel the urge to get up and stretch your legs by walking up and down the aisle, please take heed to numbers 1 and 2.

How To Talk On The Phone.

We understand that after a flight people desperately need to call everyone on their friends and family list to tell them how great their vacation was.  What we don’t understand is why they have to yell.  Ok, maybe it has something to do with their ears not popping after landing and they can’t hear properly.

Solution:  To clear your ears before making a phone call, chew a piece of gum, swallow, or yawn.  Limit calls to essential persons, such as a limo driver, until you are in the terminal,  and remember that there are other people on board trying to make important calls as well.   Don’t try to out-yell them to make yourself heard.  Send a text message or simply wait.

Today’s society has become an instant-gratification, me me me world in which we want everything yesterday and common courtesy is not so common anymore.  When people cannot be bothered to look up from their movie screen or take off their headphones when the flight attendants are at their row with meals and beverages and you hear, “What?!” three times in a row from the same individual, that is confirmation that some folks simply haven’t a clue whatsoever that their behavior is intolerable to others.  But there are some among us who can lead by example and practice good etiquette both on and off the plane.  It starts at home.  If you teach your children to treat others with humility and respect, they will grow into adults who are mindful not to put their bum in the face of others.