Airplane Etiquette Rules for a Happy Flight

Big_Hitter said:
my shoulders encroach into the middle seat so i'm over the armrest

i tell people they are welcome to try but they usually give up
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I was on a miserable flight from San Jose to Philly one time sandwiched between two guys that sound like your size... They didn't raise the arm-rests - but their shoulders were both encroaching into my middle seat... The guys were 50ish, heavy seat, and shoulders of former football players. And both hogged the armrests. I spent the entire flight leaning forward leaning on my elbows. It was awful.

I did try to scoot back so my back could touch the seat - but these guys were big and immovable. 6 hours of misery.

No more middle seats if I don't know a person on one side or the other (hubby, or one of my kids.) And I totally cede the armrest to the person in the middle... I have one on the aisle or window.
 
Cassie was a experienced traveler who always flew in her bag under the seat. However, we could hear her having trouble breathing so I took her out. My wonderful fellow passengers agreed. She was old and died a day later. So grateful to not be sitting by Moemg.
 
Big_Hitter said:
my shoulders encroach into the middle seat so i'm over the armrest

i tell people they are welcome to try but they usually give up
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So are you proud of this incredibly selfish behavior? Or??
 
We are fairly frequent leisure trip travellers.

I like the aisle. DW likes the window. We only sit together if the seats are two by two or if no one is sitting in the middle seat. After 45 plus years of marriage it hardly matters if we are not sitting beside each other for a few hours.

Today will be seven and four hours. Same row, but not beside each other on either flight.
 
rodi said:
I was on a miserable flight from San Jose to Philly one time sandwiched between two guys that sound like your size... They didn't raise the arm-rests - but their shoulders were both encroaching into my middle seat... The guys were 50ish, heavy seat, and shoulders of former football players. And both hogged the armrests. I spent the entire flight leaning forward leaning on my elbows. It was awful.
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Chicago to Portland. I'm middle seat. Get on and it's great! A couple that had window & aisle. They are medium size. I think this is going to be great! Then she (aisle) gets bumped to First Class. I didn't realize the implications until the last guy on comes down the aisle. You know what they call Chicago? The City of Broad Shoulders. This was a big fella. Whips off his shoes, wolfs down a hoagie, a big greek salad and a snack. We had not even taxied out yet!

I was hunched forward the whole flight
 
God willing, ms gamboolgal and I will retire at the end of this year from being permanent residents in Nigeria.

Airline travel has devolved about as bad as it can get from our perspective. To Hell with it. I could write pages.....shaking my head....

i cannot wait until I can devote myself full-time to chasing ms. gamboolgal around our old 4 poster buck neckid full-time back in Texas come New Years !

Lifes A Dance And You Learn As You Go....
gamboolman....
lgA0Jzas.png
 
rodi said:
I was on a miserable flight from San Jose to Philly one time sandwiched between two guys that sound like your size... They didn't raise the arm-rests - but their shoulders were both encroaching into my middle seat... The guys were 50ish, heavy seat, and shoulders of former football players. And both hogged the armrests. I spent the entire flight leaning forward leaning on my elbows. It was awful.

I did try to scoot back so my back could touch the seat - but these guys were big and immovable. 6 hours of misery.

No more middle seats if I don't know a person on one side or the other (hubby, or one of my kids.) And I totally cede the armrest to the person in the middle... I have one on the aisle or window.
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that's me - I try to make myself as small as possible but those seats are really small - I'm just big and have been a big guy my whole life. I guess I should quit lifting weights.....
 
Big_Hitter said:
not my fault I'm big - the seats are too small
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Not your fault for being big but definitely your fault for deciding to steal from someone else instead of paying up for the space you need. Buy a seat up front or two in back. Thou shall not steal.
 
To avoid many of these issues, DH and I travel first class as much as possible. If not, then we book aisle seats in the same row.
We would rather fly a bit less and go FC, or drive if we can.
 
OldShooter said:
Not your fault for being big but definitely your fault for deciding to steal from someone else instead of paying up for the space you need. Buy a seat up front or two in back. Thou shall not steal.
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I'm not stealing - who in their right mind pays for a middle seat? people need to plan better

being 6' 2" 260 shouldn't be a death sentence on a commercial flight
 
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Teacher Terry said:
. Eventually he takes his space I fall asleep and wake up with my leg touching his and my 5lb dog had crawled on his lap:)) I started to apologize and he said leave the dog. .
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In your next post you mentioned being concerned about the dog's breathing but in this post you feel asleep . I am not the only person who is not happy with loose dogs or cats on flights .
 
Big_Hitter said:
not my fault I'm big - the seats are too small
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Notice how the airlines have dodged their responsibilities and instead pitted their customers against each other? Whether it's seat width or overhead space or whatever, they are masters of it.
 
Big_Hitter said:
I'm not stealing - who in their right mind pays for a middle seat? people need to plan better

being 6' 2" 260 shouldn't be a death sentence on a commercial flight
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I am having a little trouble with the logic here. If someone books and pays for the seat next to you then they are stupid and they are poor planners? And that gives you the right to steal from them?

And BTW, I probably have a half-million butt-in-seat air miles; maybe a million.You may not have noticed but the days when the middle seats flew empty are long since over. When we can, we book ahead and get aisles across. When Red Cross calls me for a deployment, like for Hurricane Michael, I have to immediately call Carlson Wagonlit to book a flight departing the next day. My odds of a middle seat on that flight are quite high even though I am a Delta "Gold Medallion" customer. Does that make me not in my right mind? A poor planner? Sorry, if I get some fat guy next to me trying to steal my seat space he is going to fail. The arm rest will come down and, if that is not enough I will have the flight attendents find somewhere else to put the fat guy.

Regarding your seat being a death sentence that is between you and the airline. Not my problem.

Edit: Upon reflection, the original version of this post may have been enough to attract the mods' ire. So I have deleted some of it. Apologies in advance to any irate mods.
 
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Moemg, yes I fell asleep because I spent the entire night awake at the airport when we couldn’t leave because of weather. There wasn’t enough time to go to a hotel as they were far from the airport. I am older and despite her breathing issues I fell asleep and she had a stroke the next day and died.
 
Chuckanut said:
Notice how the airlines have dodged their responsibilities and instead pitted their customers against each other? Whether it's seat width or overhead space or whatever, they are masters of it.
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True enough. But that and seven bucks will get you a coffee at the airport. Crying towel will be extra of course.

But it doesn't make if OK for fat people to steal from their seatmates. Would it be OK for a burglar to use the excuse: "It wasn't stealing. I needed the money."
 
Yes, flying coach is one of those times when it becomes manifest that life isn't fair, and probably never will be.

Badger said:
Not only do you have limited leg room but you get to pay full price for half a seat and the other person gets one and a half seats for the price of one. I might get a little miffed at this spill over.



Cheers!
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OldShooter said:
I am having a little trouble with the logic here. If someone books and pays for the seat next to you then they are stupid and they are poor planners? And that gives you the right to steal from them? Sheesh! You really have to reach a long way to rationalize your theft, don't you? Pathetic.

And BTW, I probably have a half-million butt-in-seat air miles; maybe a million.You may not have noticed but the days when the middle seats flew empty are long since over. When we can, we book ahead and get aisles across. When Red Cross calls me for a deployment, like for Hurricane Michael, I have to immediately call Carlson Wagonlit to book a flight departing the next day. My odds of a middle seat on that flight are quite high even though I am a Delta "Gold Medallion" customer. Does that make me not in my right mind? A poor planner? Sorry, if I get some fat guy next to me trying to steal my seat space he is going to fail. The arm rest will come down and, if that is not enough I will have the flight attendents find somewhere else to put the fat guy.

Regarding your seat being a death sentence that is between you and the airline. Not my problem.
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geez triggered much? lighten up francis (or is it "malcolm in the middle"), I'm not stealing :LOL:

I'm not fat, just have big shoulders and a 40" waist - blame the airlines for packing us in like sardines, the smaller sardines usually get squished

I hope you get to retire soon, flying stinks
 
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What an interesting time we live in.

We, as a population, are getting larger (both bigger & taller and also more obese), and the airlines, collectively, are reducing their seat sizes and spacing/pitch. :mad:

omni
 
Big_Hitter said:
... I'm not stealing :LOL: ...
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We agree. I think the idea that you are not stealing is laughable, too.

But to continue the discussion, what would you do if another "big" guy was occupying the middle seat, had raised the arm rest before you got there, and was overflowing into your seat?
 
Looks like this thread is going in the same direction as the last time it came up. Perhaps there should be a thread on forum etiquette...because some have forgotten it.
 
OldShooter said:
We agree. I think the idea that you are not stealing is laughable, too.

But to continue the discussion, what would you do if another "big" guy was occupying the middle seat, had raised the arm rest before you got there, and was overflowing into your seat?
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It's happened several times before, I just lived with it
 
ExFlyBoy5 said:
Looks like this thread is going in the same direction as the last time it came up. Perhaps there should be a thread on forum etiquette...because some have forgotten it.
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weird that people get triggered over something so trivial
 
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