11 Things Not to Do on a Plane

Where would you rather be when you discover that Ambien makes you hallucinate or that you're allergic to your new antibiotic—at home, with easy access to your doctor and a local hospital, or in a metal tube hurtling 35,000 feet above the ocean? Never take a medicine on a plane without having tested it at home first to learn how you react.

I know—the briefing is boring, you've heard it a million times, and you already know how to buckle a seatbelt. Although it may seem tedious, the information could save your life one day. At the very least, take a few seconds to figure out where the nearest emergency exit is and how many rows away it is from your seat. (In a dark or smoky cabin, you'll want to be able to count the rows by touching the seats as you make your way toward an exit.)

No one is going to laugh at your one-liner about guns, weapons, or anything else that could be taken as threatening, particularly not the flight attendants, who have the power to remove you from a flight if they think there's even the slightest chance you might pose a security risk.

One of the biggest debates in the travel world is whether it's okay to recline your seat. Regardless of which side of the issue you take, I think we can all agree that once the food and drink carts start rolling down the aisles, it's only courteous to ensure your seat is upright so the person behind you can have full access to their tray.

No one will complain if you have a glass of wine with dinner, but over-indulging in alcohol can have consequences ranging from dehydration to even getting kicked off the plane for disorderly behavior. Remember: No one wants to sit next to the flyer who reeks of alcohol, passes out on your shoulder, or throws up on your shoes.

Speaking of mealtimes, give your seatmates a break—don't show up for your flight with a tuna sandwich or a plate of onion rings. Not only will they stink while you're eating them, but they'll also ensure that you have bad breath for the rest of the flight.

The flight attendants' first priority is to keep you safe, not to cater to your every whim, so use discretion when deciding when to hit that call button. If you're feeling ill or you're thirsty on an overnight flight when the lights are out and getting up would wake your sleeping seatmates, feel free to hit the button. If the flight attendants are already serving dinner and all you want to do is request a soda, sit down and be patient.

As pet peeves go, this is one of my biggest—when the person in 33A puts her carry-on in the bin above row 16, ensuring that there won't be enough space for the people actually sitting in row 16 to stow their own bags. This means people in the front of the plane end up having to put their bags toward the back, which leads to passengers trying to go against the stream of traffic when it comes time to deplane. Do everyone a favor and use your own overhead bin space unless there's no alternative.

In other carry-on shenanigans, please don't be the person who puts their rolling suitcase, backpack, and coat into the overhead bin on a full flight. Leave space for other people's belongings by placing your personal item under the seat in front of you and squeezing your coat into the empty spaces left after everyone else has fitted their larger bags into the bin.

I have no problem with people slipping off their shoes to be more comfortable on a long flight, with a few important exceptions.

First, your feet should be as unobtrusive as possible to everyone else (so don't prop them on top of a seatback, or wriggle them into the gap between the wall of the plane and the poor person in the seat in front of you who just wants to lean against the window without getting a faceful of your bare toes.)

Second, put your shoes back on before going to the bathroom (we’ve seen a lot of mystery liquids on those floors.) And finally, if you know you're prone to bromodosis—the polite scientific term for smelly feet—be considerate of your fellow passengers and leave your shoes on.

With airplane seats getting smaller and smaller, passengers with broad shoulders or long legs often find themselves spilling over the bounds of their seats at some point. But I'm speaking out against intentional (and obnoxious) behaviors like manspreading, hogging the armrests, or flipping your ponytail over the back of your seat so it obscures the video screen of the person behind you. Your neighbors paid for their space, too; respect it.