Air Travel “Jetiquette” Begins with Mom and Dad
By: Gailen David, Travel Mamas Guest BloggerApril 22nd, 2010
“Jetiquette” was once only used to describe acceptable guest behavior when hitching a ride on someone else’s private jet. However, the term has come to mean so much more. Travel Jetiquette is a concept that represents traveling with ease while showing courtesy and consideration to others. The definition has expanded to include virtually every aspect of travel from the flight to the hotel room.
As a flight attendant for 23 years I have to say that most (but not all) of the children I’ve met during my two decades of walking the aisles have displayed excellent Jetiquette. While I do not have kids, I have great respect for the parents whom I regularly see skillfully serving as “travel coordinators” during air travel with children.
TSA Jetiquette Tip
I’m sure we can all agree that one of the most dreaded aspects of air travel can be the period spent at the TSA security checkpoint. Marsha, a reader of my blog, recently offered of this gem of advice:
“Bring a large shopping bag, like the recyclable ones sold at the grocery store, and take it out of your roll aboard just prior to having your boarding passes examined by security. Have everyone put all of their shoes, belts, cell phones, etc into the bag so that they can all go through the x-ray machine at the same time. There goes the stress and things just speed right along.”
In-flight Jetiquette Rules to Share with Children
Here are a few suggestions for rules to share with kids to help make your flight as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
1. Use an inside voice
“Going on an airplane is an adventure! We are going to have lots of fun doing games, reading books, playing with toys, and eating snacks while we fly through the air. But, we need to be sure to play and talk quietly so we don’t disturb the other passengers.”
Tip: Practice whispering and talking quietly at home using an inside “airplane” voice before the trip.
2. Keep your home in the sky clean
“You have a very important job to do before we leave the airplane. It is up to you to make sure our seats are neat and tidy. If you do a really good job of cleaning up your toys and snacks, we can show off your good work to the flight attendant. When we get off the plane, sometimes the pilot stands at the door to say good-bye to passengers. If you do an extra-special good job, maybe we can even tell the pilot about your good work!”
Tip: Bringing a plastic grocery bag from home helps make clean-up easy!
3. Feet are for walking, not kicking
“I know it is exciting to be on an airplane, but it is very important not to kick the seat in front of you! Kicking could make the person sitting there angry or you could hurt someone. If you do kick, you will need to apologize to that person yourself.”
Tip: Request a bulkhead seat if possible. I am 43, I but can still remember the urge to kick!
The Jetiquette Pledge
Before departure, you can prepare for success by asking all family members (well, everyone who can talk!) to take The Jetiquette Pledge:
“I am committed to making travel a more civilized experience for myself and others by exhibiting polite, courteous and considerate behavior to all I encounter when traveling.”
I hope all of your family travels are filled with courtesy, joy, and laughter!
Gailen David, aka The Sky Steward® serves as a resource for frequent travelers along with various national media outlets, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, NPR, Travel Weekly Magazine and Fox News.
What jetiquette tips do you have for fellow travelers? Please add a comment below!
You might also like:
• Airplane Carry-On Kit for Babies & Toddlers
• Listen Up & Weigh In Travel Mamas! (The Travel Mama’s appearance on the Sky Steward’s podcast)
• The Bright Side of Flying with Kids
Tags: Air Travel with Children, jetiquette, kick the seat, TSA
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Gailen – Thanks so much for the great jetiquette tips for families. I LOVE Marsha’s tip to bring a bag along in which we can stow all of the family’s shoes, cell phones, etc. – that would make retrieving all of those little things so much easier whent traveling with little ones! I promise to take the Jetiquette pledge!