Airplane Manners: Let's Be Realistic About The Limitations Of The Cleaning Crew
From my new book, which I hope you'll buy, "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck."
The seat back pocket is not a place to leave little gifts for the next passenger who has your seat.
Also, while we're at it, here's another from the book, from my Pinterest page:
Reminds of the time we were on a really rough flight. The passenger next to me used his barf bag a lot.
I guess you could say it was nice of him to not leave it behind as he did carry it up to the flight attendants while we were getting off. She refused to take it by suggesting that he dump it in trash barrel that they had wheeled up to the plane for the cleaning crew to use.
He got rather huffy that he had to carry it outside (we are talking about right outside the plane within sight) - What exactly did he expect her to do?
Charles at June 18, 2014 9:27 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/06/18/airplane_manner_2.html#comment-4773843">comment from CharlesAs far as I know, they are not supposed to touch human waste, and it seems awful to expect them to. I get sick sometimes on planes and I take the bag off the plane with me and dispose of it in an airport trash can or throw it in the trash in the bathroom myself. What kind of person hands their waste products to a person who is not their mommy and then gets miffy when they aren't all, "Why thank you; you shouldn't have!"?
Amy Alkon at June 18, 2014 9:33 AM
Also NSFW. You can skip this one as well, Crid. it's just another stupid comic.
Airplane Etiquette:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyj8tUp4wf0
Steve Daniels at June 18, 2014 12:15 PM
Actually, they are trained to handle human waste - it requires suiting up with gloves and whatever else is needed. They hate it (as anyone would). If someone pees or bleeds on the plane, it can't just stay there. Someone has to clean it up. And that someone is the attendant. They use the "lifeguard rule" - whoever is closest or sees it first, gets it.
It just makes no sense to ask an attendant to get out the hazmat suit, at an already-busy debarking time, for something like that.
People just don't think.
flbeachmom at June 19, 2014 9:18 AM
Airplane manners suggestion: It's one thing to have a loud conversation.
It's another to announce in a loud voice that American women are easy sluts, in a plane half-full with American women.
If you're going to make sexist and ethnic generalizations, best use your indoor voice.
NicoleK at June 19, 2014 11:11 AM
Slightly off topic, but still airplane etiquette (sort of):
I was on an international flight, business class, completely full plane. A young couple with a happy babe in arms sat in the first row of the section (a small upstairs cabin). The plane took off and (I assume) the poor infant could not equalize the pressure in his ears / head. He screamed in agony at the top of his lungs for the entire 3 1/2 hour flight. The parents tried everything to help their child. They consulted the flight attendants. Soon, the wife was in tears and the husband was frantic. Nothing worked to sooth the baby. Fellow passengers were extremely sympathetic and very patient but were being stretched to the limit. The entire section was completely frazzled by landing time, but everyone kept their temper. This was before the time of noise cancelling head sets.
Was there a solution we missed?
Sam at June 19, 2014 11:17 AM
Sam, the cause is as you said, baby's inability to equalize pressure. Noise isn't the problem, so headphones wouldn't help.
You have to get them to do the equivalent of chewing gum or yawning. The only way to do that is to get them to suckle. This is the time to break out the heroin - I mean, apple juice. Whatever the kid loves to have and doesn't get often.
flbeachmom at June 19, 2014 1:35 PM
"best use your indoor voice"
Er, when in close quarters, that really doesn't work. Unless by "indoor voice" you mean a whisper.
I only wish more parents would make their small kids use that definition, since kids say horribly embarrassing things all the time in "indoor voices" that any stranger within ten feet - or five - can hear. (Such as "wow, she's fat!")
I realize that whispering is not polite, but maybe we could change that rule until a particular kid is old enough to have a grasp of what not to say at all? Of course, it's more complicated when adult friends are with you - see this "For Better or For Worse" strip:
http://catalog.fborfw.com/indexid.php?q=6313&Submit=Search
lenona at June 20, 2014 9:30 AM
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