Too Many People Overlook This 1 Aspect Of Airplane Etiquette

Over the years, there’s been much ado in the air travel world about the etiquette of reclining your seat into the space of the passenger behind you. Is this an inherently rude act? When is it acceptable? What’s the best way to approach the recline?

But amid all this fuss, there’s an overlooked area of plane etiquette: the seat in front of you and how you interact with it throughout the flight.

“When traveling by plane, it’s important to be mindful of the seat in front of you,” etiquette coach Jamila Musayeva told HuffPost. “The space on an airplane is shared and can be quite limited, so we must all make an effort to be considerate of others.”

Courtesy and mindfulness go a long way in these uncomfortable conditions.

“Those seats are pretty thin, so just keep in mind that the person in front of you is going to feel absolutely everything,” said Nick Leighton, an etiquette expert and co-host of the “Were You Raised by Wolves?” podcast. “Being on an airplane is a team sport and we’re all in this together.”

The tray table is not a substitute for a regular table.

“This may come as a complete surprise, but the tray table was designed for your dining convenience — it is there for drinks, snacks and the occasional meal,” said Jodi R.R. Smith, the president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting. “Your tray table is to hold lighter items.”

She cautioned against using the tray table as a substitute drum set or drafting table, or to support a heavy laptop.

“You should not be pounding away on your laptop keys or doing any jiggling, bouncing or tapping,” Smith added. “The tray table is attached to the seat in front of you. Every movement of your tray table causes additional, and usually unwanted, movement of that seat and should be