Meaning in the Sky
You know what really hinders our ability to live a meaningful life? Crappy airplane travel experiences! Nothing will suck the life out of a vacation or business trip like painful travel days. While we can’t do anything about flight delays, ticket prices, TSA, or airport traffic, we, the people, control much of our own fate. We’re our own and each other’s worst enemies. While that feels grim, there’s hope! If we band together, we have the power to bend the culture of flying. So, with that glorious introduction, here are my passionate and not-so-definitive rules for air travel:
Never check a bag…..ever. Carry-ons only. Travel is so much easier, smoother, and better when we pack light.
When sitting at a crowded gate, your bags don’t need their own seats. Seats are for butts, and bags don’t have butts.
When boarding the plane, don’t continually make contact with the person in front of you. Give them space. Tailgating won’t get you to your seat faster.
If you’re going to negotiate (or beg) for someone to switch seats with you so you can sit with your friend, you must offer the other party the better outcome. You can’t jam someone into the middle seat while you take their aisle seat.
If you have two bags, put at least one under your seat. Don’t rob someone else of overhead compartment space because you want a little extra leg room.
If you’ve been talking to your seat neighbor and they haven’t said more than “uh huh” or “yeah” in the last five minutes, their heart isn’t in it. Give them space.
Never recline your seat. There’s never a good reason to cramp the person behind you. Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.
If you’re going to play music or watch a movie, use headphones. I can’t even believe this has to be stated.
Don’t treat your flight attendants like trash. They are putting in long days and busting their butts to serve us. They deserve to be treated with dignity.
When moving about the cabin, never grab seatbacks. When we do, we’re literally tugging on someone’s head.
When the plane lands, don’t get up and move forward. You can stand (if you must), but honor the code of waiting until it’s your row’s turn to dismiss.
After stepping off the plane onto the jetbridge, never stop walking to adjust your bag or wait for your travel companion. It’s disrespectful at best, dangerous at worst.
If you’re going to use the folding tray table, don’t let it slam. It annoys the people around you, and the person in front of you can feel it in their soul.
The armrests belong to the person in the middle seat. Their life is miserable enough, so let’s not rob them of the little dignity and comfort they have remaining.
There you have it! 15 steps to a more meaningful (travel) life! Hope you enjoyed this completely random rant. Happy travels!