10 Things to STOP Doing on a Flight in 2024 (NEW RULES)

Today we're covering 10 things that you should never do at your seat on a flight. Some are unwritten rules that flight attendants wish every passenger knew, while others are strict regulations and breaking them can get you into serious trouble. The first thing that you should absolutely never do on a plane would be to recline during one of these four key phases of the flight. Boarding, takeoff, meal service, and landing. You should not recline during boarding because it can make it difficult for other passengers to get to their seats and store their carry-on luggage correctly. Seats must also be upright for takeoff and landing for safety reasons and it's going to delay everyone if flight attendants have to specifically ask you to adjust your seat. During meal service, it's difficult for others to eat if you recline into their space. And although it's not an official rule, it is very difficult to if the person in front of you has reclined their seat. So another situation when you shouldn't recline would be if the person behind you has a laptop or another device set up on the tray table. The second thing that passengers should refrain from doing at any time during the flight would be abruptly reclining their seat. Even during the times of flight where it is acceptable, reclining is a hotly debated topic and many airlines are phasing it out of economy class altogether. On a recent flight, I didn't realize that the woman behind me had a hot coffee on the back of my seat. When I reclined, it spilled all over her lap. I felt terrible and I don't know exactly how she felt as she was yelling at me in Spanish but it was not good. This is just one example of why you should always recline your seat slowly and then check behind you first. Let us know down in the comments if you think airlines should be removing this recline feature in economy altogether. I personally think that we should still be able to recline assuming it's not going to be during one of those four phases of the flight that I mentioned in the first point. Also don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss Oli and I with a travel tip and it's also a free way to support the channel so I appreciate it. Thank you. The next thing to never do at your seat on a flight is hog the middle armrest unless you happen to be that unfortunate passenger that is stuck in the middle seat. If you are in the middle seat, you get both armrests to compensate for the lack of space on both sides as the window seat passenger can lean into the window and the aisle seat passenger can lean into the aisle. The only time to consider using the middle armrest if you are in the aisle or the window seat is when there happens to be no one seated next to you in the middle seat. Lucky you. Aisle, window, and middle seat passengers should also refrain from lifting up the armrest if you do happen to be seated beside a stranger. There's a button on most plane armrests that lets you lift them up for extra space. This is great if you're seated with a partner or if you have an empty seat beside you. If you are seated in the aisle, a little-known hack is that you can usually find a secret button underneath the aisle armrest to lift it out of the way as well. However, it's a big no-no to lift the armrest up when you are seated next to a stranger since these armrests provide necessary boundaries and personal space between you and your seatmate. Keeping them down is going to help define each passenger's seating area, making the flight more comfortable for everyone. And honestly, even if you didn't have a physical barrier like an armrest that is separating you from other passengers, you do want to avoid extending any part of your body into another passenger's space. Always aim to keep your body and belongings within the boundaries of your own seat. This includes resting your hand over the top of the seat in front of you or letting your hair drape over the seat behind you. I recently came across a BuzzFeed article that showed all the ways people can invade each other's space on a plane without even knowing it. It's pretty wild but also quite accurate, unfortunately. The next thing to never do at your seat during a flight would be to ignore the window shade etiquette. Some newer planes have auto-shading windows but many still have manual shades and it's good to know the unwritten rules if you happen to be in a window seat with a manual shade. For safety reasons, the window shade should be up during takeoff and landing. This allows the emergency crew to see inside the aircraft in the case of an emergency and it's also going to help passengers adjust their eyes to the outside light conditions. For the comfort of other passengers, consider keeping the window shade down if most people are trying to sleep, which is often the case on early morning and overnight flights. If it is a sunny day on a daytime flight, you might want to keep the window shade down to avoid glaring sunlight, especially if other passengers are trying to use the in-flight entertainment system. That's a no. Please use the bathroom. While it might slip out occasionally, it's considerate to avoid doing so in your seat. The confined space and limited air circulation on a plane mean that those odors are going to linger and be affecting everyone that is around you. This one is for the comfort of other passengers but definitely stick around for number nine as it's one that is not only for your own comfort but it could save you from making a highly illegal mistake that will absolutely destroy your trip and potentially your future travel plan. If you are using your own personal device such as an iPad, laptop, or your phone on a flight, make sure that you do so with headphones. Playing videos, music, or even games out loud from your device can be very disruptive during a flight. Even if you're not watching or listening to something, please remember to put your phone on silent for notifications. Historically, this was not an issue since there was little to no connectivity on flights. However, many planes these days now offer free in-flight messaging with apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. If you do plan to use these apps, make sure your notifications are silenced to avoid disturbing those around you. There was a woman seated beside me on a flight once who must have been in her 80s or maybe even her 90s and she was listening to an audiobook from her phone with her wireless headphones in her ears but I don't think she realized that her headphones were not connected to the device. And I didn't have the heart to tell her when her audiobook began with this. Audible presents Life Worth Living, a practical and compassionate guide to navigating widowhood and soul parenting. I learned a lot on that flight. Something else to never do at your seat on a flight would be to ignore the seatbelt sign. The little light above your seat with the seatbelt icon is not just a suggestion. When it's lit, you need to stay seated with the belt buckled. This includes when the plane lands and stops moving after taxiing. Don't immediately stand up but instead wait for the light to turn off before trying to grab your carry-on items and deplaning. It's also good practice to keep your seatbelt fastened at all times while seated as turbulence can occur at any time and it can be completely unexpected. Pilots will always wear their seatbelts while flying regardless of the conditions because they have enough experience in the air to know that unexpected rough patches can happen at any time. Remember that the seatbelt sign is meant for everyone's safety including the flight attendant. It's appreciated when passengers avoid using the flight attendant call button when the seatbelt sign is on so they can stay safely buckled as well. And if you are one of those lucky people that can sleep on a plane and you do feel yourself dozing off, buckle up your seatbelt over your jacket or blanket. This way if the seatbelt sign comes on while you're asleep the flight attendant won't need to wake you up to check if your seatbelt is fastened allowing them to find their seats quickly and ensuring that you are not disturbed once you've finally been able to fall asleep. Another thing to never do on a flight would be to place your valuables into the seatback pocket. Putting valuables like your phone or passport in the seatback pocket is something you should never do on a flight. It's easy to accidentally leave these behind when you land and there are strict rules that prevent passengers from getting back on the plane after getting off. So getting something that you may have left behind isn't going to be as simple as you might expect. To add to this, the pockets are not secure and valuables could be picked up by other passengers while you are sleeping or even taking a bathroom break. It's always going to be best to store valuables in a secure pocket so they are kept close to your body throughout the flight. A big mistake and something to never do at your seat on a plane would be to drink your own alcohol. While you can technically bring many containers of booze in your carry-on liquids bag through airport security and then onto a flight, you should not be drinking your own alcohol while seated on the plane. It's both illegal and against airline policies. Airlines have strict rules about alcohol consumption on board and the only alcoholic drinks that you're allowed to consume on a plane are the ones that are served by a flight attendant. Drinking your own alcohol can lead to serious consequences including fines, being removed from the flight, or even being banned from flying with that airline in the future. So if you are interested in drinking during your flight, make sure you order from the flight attendant. Just keep in mind that alcohol is also going to affect you differently when it's consumed in the air in comparison to on the ground. Your tolerance is lower and you don't want to end up overly intoxicated. I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol in general and wow, a few sips of wine on the plane and I'm feeling it. Now that you have the basics down of what not to do at your seat on a flight, I'll put a video up on the screen for you to watch next that covers my all-time favorite in-flight comfort hacks. These are the little known tips and tricks that I've picked up from over 100 flights and they have been key to surviving long-haul trips. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to join us back here for weekly travel tips and hacks and I'll see you in that next video soon. Bye!