You've probably experienced it before. More or less comfortably installed in a flight to your next vacation, you decide to take a nap and start tilting your seat backwards... When you are in doubt: what if this position bothered your neighbor from behind? You try a glance over your seat accompanied by a sorry smile. Is this guilt justified? More generally, what are the attitudes to adopt to be a respectful passenger?
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For Mohamad Ameerbeg, cabin manager for Transavia, there is no need to feel guilty: "You have paid for your seat, you have the right to enjoy it!" The only recommendation is "Warn the passenger behind you, with kindness." Nevertheless, it happens that some complain about the situation: "We then propose to the annoyed user to recline, in turn, his seat back. It is only at mealtime when the passenger in front is asked to pull up his backrest, to leave space to eat.
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"Stress makes you forget good manners"
In general, "we take home the good manners we have at home," recalls the cabin manager: "A hello, a goodbye, a thank you to the aircraft staff is always appreciated." For Mohamad Ameerbeg, the most important thing is to arrive early to locate his boarding gate and not delay take-off. The cabin manager knows: "Flying can be stressful, for a whole bunch of reasons – ignorance of the airport, first time on a plane ... It is stress that sometimes makes passengers forget good manners. Arriving early therefore helps to limit this stress.
Laurence Caracalla, journalist and author of the 100 rules of etiquette, points out that, in a plane, "we are stuck together for several hours: the basic rule is to respect others". This involves helping the elderly to store their cabin luggage, leaving room for other suitcases by installing his own, not monopolizing the toilet for hours ... But also by small attentions: ask the other people in your row of seats if they agree before going up or lowering the window blind, trying not to monopolize the armrests, greeting your neighbor by sitting down (without forcing conversation with him either)... Just as many gestures for which your neighbors will be grateful.
Are you going with children? Upstream, "try to have planned activities (games, coloring) to keep them busy". During the flight, regularly check that they are not kicking the front seat. If necessary, you can also make them walk in the aisles ... "But only when the aircraft staff has finished their shift. " recalls Mohamad Ameerbeg. Last advice from the cabin master: occupy the children during the beginning of the landing, where the pressure is very difficult to bear for the youngest. "Give them the bottle or pacifier, so they can swallow and suffer less."
