10 Things You Should Never Do on an Airplane

There is something about getting on an airplane that seems to make some people forget they're surrounded by other human beings.

I'm talking about the person watching TikToks without headphones. The person who puts their carry-on, backpack, coat and shopping bag in the overhead bin while everyone else is still boarding. The person who grabs the back of your seat to hoist themselves up approximately thirty seconds after you finally managed to fall asleep.

If you've flown enough, you've encountered at least one of them. And if we're being honest, we've probably all unknowingly been that person at some point.

I've done a lot of flying over the years, and one thing I've learned is that a good flight isn't entirely up to the airline. We're sharing a very small space with a couple hundred strangers, sometimes for eight, ten or more hours. The little things we do can make that experience noticeably better—or noticeably worse—for everyone around us.

With another overnight flight to Italy coming up for me in a few days, I've been thinking about the unwritten rules I've picked up after years of flying. This isn't about being the perfect passenger or policing what everyone else does. Travel days are stressful enough without worrying that the person in 24C is silently judging you.

Most airplane etiquette really comes down to one thing: remember that there are other people on the plane.

So, in the interest of making all of our next flights a little smoother, here are ten things I think we should all agree not to do on an airplane.

1. Don't Walk Around the Plane Without Shoes

I'm probably going to lose some people immediately, but I don't have a problem with taking your shoes off at your seat on a long flight. Obviously, good hygiene is an important part of this agreement. If we're eight hours into an overnight flight and you're trying to sleep, get comfortable. Take your shoes off. Keep your socks on.

But if you're getting up to walk around the cabin, put your shoes back on. And if you're going to the bathroom, please put your shoes back on. At the end of the day, an airplane lavatory is a public restroom. You wouldn't casually walk into a gas station bathroom in your socks, so I'm not sure why being 35,000 feet in the air should change that.

2. Don't Forget That Other People Are Trying to Sleep

Many international flights leaving the U.S. for Europe happen overnight. For a lot of us, the goal once dinner is over and the cabin lights go down is pretty simple: get whatever sleep we possibly can.

That doesn't mean the airplane needs to become a library. Talk to the person you're traveling with. Watch a movie. Get up and stretch. We're all still allowed to exist after the cabin lights go down. But read the room—or, I guess, the cabin. If it's dark, most of the window shades are closed and everyone around you is attempting some version of sleep, be mindful of your volume. If someone three rows away now knows where you're staying in Rome, what you ordered for dinner last night and how you really feel about your mother-in-law, the conversation might be a little too loud. An airplane is never going to be silent. There are plenty of noises at 35,000 feet that none of us can do anything about. We just don't need to compete with them.

3. Don't Fill the Overhead Bin With Everything You Brought

During boarding, the overhead bin is for your carry-on. Your smaller personal item belongs under the seat in front of you. That means your roller bag, backpack, coat, shopping bag and everything you purchased at Duty Free probably don't all need their own piece of overhead-bin real estate.

Overhead space can disappear quickly, especially on a full flight. When one person takes up half a bin, someone else may have to put their bag several rows away—or potentially have it checked because there simply isn't room left.

And this isn't just about luggage. It affects the entire boarding process. The longer people have to stand in the aisle searching for bin space, rearranging other bags or walking backward to find somewhere their carry-on will fit, the longer it takes everyone to get settled.

So keep it simple: carry-on overhead, personal item under the seat in front of you. A little consideration with the bin space can make boarding smoother for everyone.

4. Don't Use the Seat in Front of You to Pull Yourself Up

This one is personal. There are few things quite like finally falling asleep on an airplane only to suddenly be yanked backward because someone behind you grabbed the top of your seat to pull themselves up.

It's an easy thing to do without even thinking about it, especially after you've been sitting for hours. But remember: there's another human being attached to the seat you're grabbing. Every pull, push and tug gets transferred directly to the person sitting in it. And somehow, it always seems to happen approximately 30 seconds after I finally fall asleep.

5. Don't Block the Aisle Unnecessarily

The airplane aisle is basically a one-lane road, and it doesn't take much to create a traffic jam.

When you're boarding, have what you need reasonably accessible, stow your bag and let the people behind you keep moving when you can. During the flight, absolutely get up, stretch and move around—especially on a long flight—just stay aware of whether someone needs to get by. And when it's time to deplane, try to have your things together before it's your turn to go.

No one needs to move with military precision. Just remember that when one person stops in the aisle, 30 people can end up stopping with them.

6. Don't Make Your Entertainment Everyone Else's Entertainment

Headphones. Please.

If you're watching a movie, scrolling TikTok, playing a game or listening to music, the rest of the cabin shouldn't be able to hear it. This applies at the gate, during boarding and throughout the flight.

We're all bringing our own entertainment. We don't need yours too.

7. Don't Forget About the Person Behind You When You Recline

I'm not getting involved in the internet war over whether reclining your airplane seat is acceptable. The seat reclines. You paid for it. You're allowed to use it.

Personally, I hate reclining my seat. I immediately feel bad for the person behind me, and sometimes I wonder whether the approximately two degrees of recline are even worth the guilt. But that's my problem, not yours.

If you do recline, just be mindful of the person behind you. Don't throw the seat backward all at once, especially if they have a laptop, drink or something else on their tray table. And when meal service starts on a long-haul flight, bring your seat upright so they actually have room to eat.

The flight attendants will usually remind everyone anyway, but they have more important things to worry about than teaching us basic courtesy at 35,000 feet.

8. Don't Forget Where Your Space Ends

Airplane seats are already small enough. Please don't make mine smaller.

Be aware of where your legs, elbows and belongings are going. An airplane is definitely not the place to manspread, let your knee drift halfway into the seat next to you or spread your things into someone else's space. I don't want my leg touching yours for the next six hours, and I'm going to assume you don't want mine touching yours either.

We're all going to be sitting closer to strangers than we'd probably choose to anywhere else. The least we can do is stay within the space we've been given.

9. Don't Rush Several Rows Forward the Second We Land

We made it. The plane is on the ground. Everyone wants to get off.

If you want to stand up and stretch after sitting for eight hours, I completely understand. But squeezing past people to move three or four rows forward while the aircraft door is still closed isn't getting any of us off the plane faster.

There are exceptions, especially when someone has a tight connection. If the flight attendants ask everyone to remain seated so those passengers can get off first, let them through. Someday that might be you staring at your watch and silently begging everyone to move.

Otherwise, row 32 becoming row 28 hasn't really accomplished much.

10. Don't Forget We're All Sharing This Flight

This is really what the other nine rules come down to.

You don't need to be the perfect passenger. Travel days are tiring. People get stressed. Connections get tight. Someone is inevitably going to bump your seat, take a little too long getting their bag down or need to climb over you to use the bathroom just as you've finally gotten comfortable.

We're human.

But for the next few hours, we're also sharing a very small space with a lot of other humans. A little patience, awareness and consideration can make the experience noticeably better for everyone.

In a few days, I'll be boarding an overnight flight to Italy. I'll have my headphones, my personal item under the seat during boarding and—once I'm settled in—probably my shoes off while I desperately attempt to get some sleep.

All I'm asking is that nobody grabs the back of my seat approximately 30 seconds after I finally manage to fall asleep.

And if we can all agree on that, I think we're going to be just fine.

Planning your own trip? Good travel starts long before you board the plane. I help my clients take care of the details—from routing and hotels to the experiences that make a trip worth taking. Learn more about planning your trip with Ryan Garcia Travel.