And back to airports, airplanes and the random ways people travel. If you really think about it, airline travel is little more than a flying city bus. Poeple may have paid more for their tickets, but their habits are not that different. In fact, I often wonder why I feel it's okay to abandon all my belongings when I brave the bathroom or why I am not completely repulsed when the person sitting next to me starts to snore. (It is annoying, but I don't find it disgusting as I would in a bus or other public transit situation.) There are rules, guidelines and siggestions, but genreally I have found people abandon all good common sense and decency when entering an airport terminal or airplane. And that brings me to yesterday's experiences...
Experience One-- I arrived at the airport insanely early due to a wedding, so my dropoff time was about 2 hours before take-off. On a low-travel day like Saturday that leaves lots of time in the terminal. I grabbed a coffee, bought a newspaper (I like to be a little old school) and settled in near a window. People started to pile in, but this was a HUGE gate area, so it was still calm. Then I started to hear it...the snoring, like I have never heard. We were in a terminal, not a bedroom or even a couch. This man was completely out! I smirked a little and just cranked up the tunes and tuned him right out! Win- Jessica! I swear, it got louder! I am not sure how this was possible, but it really got loud. So loud, in fact, that a little girl nearby asked her mother where the train was because she could hear the engine! Yep, that's right. The man was snoring SO loudly that a child thought she was going on a train ride rather than an airplane. Several people in the area heard her and just cracked up. It's all about perspective. :) After I stopped laughing, my thought was that surely this man was going to be my seat-mate. Ugh. But as luck should have it, he had missed his plane to Madison and wasn't going to Chicago at all. Whew! That was close....
Or so I thought. The flight to Chicago was uneventful and nice actually. I had a full row to myself. Delightful! I wondered if my luck might remain on the Seattle leg and got a little bit excited. Sadly, no. Although my status now allows me to be automatically seated in the exit row, the planes are still FULL. I would say, as a rule, I am an excellent person to be seated next to. I don't take up overhead bin space (my stuff fits under the seat), I keep to myself, plug in my iPod, and read. Sometimes I sleep, but within my seat. I don't spread out and I am not large enough to expand into my seat-mates' space. Unfortunately, I have found that this done not guaratee a good space experience, even in the exit row! I was the in the aisle so I was seated last in the succession of my seat-mates. The man seated in the middle seat looked pissed when I went to sit down. He clearly planned to take-over two seats on the 3.5 hour flight from Chicago to Seattle. I settled in, opened my book and kept my arms within the confines of the armreast areas. As we reached the appropriate altitude said man got out his computer and started to work. He proceded to elbow me for a solid 20 minutes because he couldn't figure out how to open the table. UGH! Not only was it annoying, but it hurt. (I cracked a rib last week and it's still tender- I will tell that story soon). So instead of arguing with him, I simply leaned into the aisle a little more. Big mistake! The man decided that this was now his space. He leaned over and took up all his space, part of my space and part of the space on his other side. Uncool! I went to the bathroom (carelessly abandoning my things) and when I returned he had literally taken over my space. I am not a large person or mean, for that matter, but I decided enough was enough! The cart was coming down the aisle and I needed to be in my seat, not the aisle, so I did what any mature person would do and played elbow hockey for the duration of the flight. I know, mature. He never got it. Now, I travel enough to see patterns. Women never take over other people's space (unless they really are just too large for the seat), it's always men. Now I don't mean to bash men. I like men as much as the next gal, but I want my own space on an airplane! So, to all of you who read this (all 3 of you...) spread the word, here are the beginnings of the Airplane Rules and Etiquette:
1. As the flight attendants suggest, overhead bin space should be reserved for large bags, not your coat or hat. If there is space remaining, then place said item in the overhead space. Until then it stays in your lap on the floor in front of you.
2. If you sit in the aisle seat, please remember that you are going to have to get up many, many times so your fellow passengers can get out. Deal!
3. Armrests-- There are rules. Here we go. The window seat uses the armrest closest to the window, the middle seat uses the armrest closest to the window and the aisle seat using the armrest away from the aisle. The aisle armrest is not a usable space. People walk past, carts bump, it's just not a good space.
Basically, all I ask for with these rules and of my fellow passengers is a little common sense and common courtesy. Remember what you learned in Kindergarten? Nap time, show-and-tell, and sharing...bring it forward in your life. It'll make things so much more pleasant for those who come into contact with you.
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