But sadly, in these days when people shut themselves off to common courtesy by wearing ear buds or when people think a misspelled text message is an adequate thank you for a wedding present...well, Jane simply believes people are losing the ability to be polite.
Nowhere is this tendency more obvious than on an airplane. Time was, air travelers respected each other. But these days, it's a man-eat-man world up there, and airline passengers often find themselves in situations where mano-a-mano action is a heartbeat away.
Speaking of men, Jane believes, albeit anecdotally, that the male species is far ruder on board than women. She has discovered that men are far more likely to grab an adjoining armrest, let their newspapers overflow into Jane's air space, and, sadly, less likely to use deodorant or mouthwash. That said, women can be olfactory offenders as well, especially those who wear a lot of perfume. In Jane's book, even a drop of eau de parfum is too much for air travel.
During the next few weeks, Jane will outline some of the most egregious
passenger etiquette faux pas. But in the meantime, Jane would like to advise you, dear reader, on steps you can take to make sure you are not the seatmate from hell.
1. Make sure you don't smell. This goes beyond the aforementioned perfume problem. It means you don't eat onions, nor garlic, nor beans before a flight. 'Nuf said.
2. Make sure you can hear. If you choose to wear headsets of any kind, be cognizant of those around you--they may be begging for a bathroom break. Furthermore, make sure your headsets are set to a volume that only you can hear.
3. Don't stow your luggage under someone else's seat. Even if your seatmate is vertically-challenged and doesn't appear to require the extra leg room, stealing his or her space is just rude. That said, if your petite neighbor doesn't seem to have carry-on of her own under the seat, you could politely ask about using the space. But honestly, if you are carrying on more than fits under your own seat, you are the one with the shortcoming.
4. Dispense with the newspaper and read magazines and books on board.
And now over to you, dear reader. What steps do you take to avoid breaches of etiquette in the air?
