The 10 Dos and Donts of Airplane Etiquette

A writing prompt courtesy of Mama Kat. As someone who has had a number of flights under her belt (the longest being approximately 8,500 miles), I like to think of myself as somewhat of a seasoned air traveler. Here are some of my personal DOs and DON'Ts of airplane etiquette. These are just some general things, though I do plan to write another one geared specifically for parents of young children in the near future.

Ze plane! Ze plane!

1. If you're prone to gas while up in the air (AKA "jet bloat") DO take a Beano before take off. Sure, you can avoid spicy foods, carbonated beverages, and any other items that might cause you toot more often, but nothing saves you (and your seat mates) from your noxious ass fumes than some good old Beano.
2. Along those lines, if you're the type to take bathroom breaks often, DO request an aisle seat. It plain sucks for your seat mates if you're always getting up and asking to pass by. Better to avoid the question of giving the ass or crotch?
3. Speaking of ass or crotch, when getting up, try to use the back of your own seat to help push yourself up if necessary. DON'T grab the backs of the seats in the row in front of you, as you're essentially rocking their seat for them. Not a nice thing to do when they have not asked for it.
4. Before you recline your seat, DO check the seat behind you to make sure anyone seated there isn't leaning forward or has placed anything precarious (like a drink) on his or her tray. If the person does have his or her tray out with stuff on it. After you've checked, recline slowly.
5. DON'T be a jerk and push your seat back suddenly and forcefully without regard to the person behind you.
6. As much as possible, stay within your alloted space. DON'T hog a shared arm rest. You technically "paid" for half that arm rest, so use your half. (Doing so also makes it harder for your seat mate to hog it as well.)
7. This is simple, if you suffer from stinky feet, please DON'T take your shoes (and socks) off during the flight. Or at least take measures to avoid or minimize the stench.
8. If the person sitting next to you is a stranger, DON'T use your seat mate as a pillow. If you plan to nod off during the flight, bring your own neck pillow and/or use the pillow provided by the airline (if applicable). If you just met your seat mate, you have not known him or her long enough to use a free shoulder to prop your sleepy head on.
9. If your seat mate has headphones on, chances are, he or she doesn't want to talk to interact with you. Apart from a friendly nod or a brief greeting, DO respect his or her peace and privacy.
10. DO be courteous and polite, not just to your fellow passengers, but also to the flight staff. Like it or not, you guys are stuck together for the rest of the flight, and chances are, if you're nice to them, they will be nice to you. We really don't need any more Steven Slater stories propping up.