Etiquette

How to avoid getting booted off an airplane

Etiquette, Kids

Earlier this month, Wendy Slaughter, her four young kids and her pregnant sister were scheduled to fly on Southwest Airlines from Detroit to Seattle via Phoenix.

They got as far as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. That’s where airport police met the flight and informed Slaughter that Southwest had deemed her family’s onboard behavior too disruptive to fly. Citing concern for the children, other passengers and the flight crew, the airline refused to let the family board their connecting flight.

Find out why they got booted and get tips on how to avoid getting booted in my Well-Mannered Traveler column posted this week on MSNBC.com.

(Column illustration by the very talented Duane Hoffman, MSNBC.com)

Spitting, slurping, and other tips for traveling to Beijing

Etiquette, Well-Mannered Traveler

Unless the International Olympic Committee acts fast and makes heaving overweight carry-on bags into overhead airplane bins an official Olympic sport, my chances of visiting Beijing this summer are nil.

But if committee members do finally come to their senses, I’m ready to go. I’ve been practicing my technique on plane trips with multiple connections. And I’ve been prepping for free time in Beijing by gathering advice on how to be a well-mannered traveler in China.

Find out what I learned about spitting, squat toilets, staying safe, and slurping soup in China in this week’s Well Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com.

(Column illustration by the very talented Duane Hoffmann / msnbc.com)

Why should you mind your manners on an airplane?

Etiquette, Security

For starters, air travel is frustrating enough these days. So it just makes things worse if you insist on fully reclining your seat back when the person behind is already squished. Or if you walk down the airplane aisle letting your carry-on bag smack into the faces of folks already seated.

And then there’s this: if you get really out of hand, say by getting into a fistfight with another passenger over the armrest, you may have to answer to a Federal air marshal – perhaps the one who recently set a new world marksmanship record for shooting the “Roundabout” in 8.08 seconds during the “Speed-On-Steel Championships.”

The TSA is very proud.

(From TSA site)

Beware the ‘dreaded year-end nose pickers’

Etiquette, Health, Museums

So you pay through the nose for an airline ticket, fly across country on an overstuffed airplane, and make your way into town hoping to spend a few hours viewing treasures in a quiet museum gallery. But when you arrive, the museum is filled with hordes of school kids on a year-end field trip.

Find out what to do about it in my Well-Mannered Traveler column posted today on MSNBC.com – complete with cool artwork by Duane hoffmann from msnbc.com.

hlg_illo_kidstravel.jpg

Cell-phones on airplanes: are you ready?

Cell Phones, Etiquette, Rules

New European Union (EU) rules make it likely that travelers will be able to place cell phone calls on flights in EU airspace as soon as this summer. Air France is already testing such a service on one “cell-phones-allowed” plane that I got to fly on yesterday between Paris and Geneva.

Technically, the service isn’t quite ready-for-prime-time, but passengers I spoke with were just fine with that. “No way do I want to listen to someone talking on their cell phone next to me on a plane,” one man told me, “I hope this never gets going.”

Will in-flight cell-phone service be offered in the United States anytime soon? Not if some lawmakers have their way. Read about their plan to ban in-flight cell-phone service forever in my Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com.

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day – the travel version

Etiquette, Holidays, Kids, Well-Mannered Traveler

Today, April 24th, is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Started by the Ms. Foundation for Women back in 1993 as a career day for young girls, the program is now on its own and has broadened its focus to include boys.

The goals for the day have expanded as well: parents and mentors are asked to expose girls and boys to the choices they have in the workplace and to offer lessons about the “family-work balance.”

But what if your work involves lots of travel? My Well-Mannered Traveler column today offers tips on taking kids along on a business trip.

A “moment of tranquility” before the phone rings

Cell Phones, Etiquette

Air France-KLM is currently testing in-flight mobile phone services on some European routes. Today the European Union (EU) announced that other airlines may offer the service as well – as long as they comply with licensing and equipment regulations and keep a lid on the cost of those high-flying calls.

Still, uh, up in the air, is the issue of in-flight phone etiquette. If the price is right, plenty of travelers will want to use the service, although one EU spokesman hopes that “some people will still use the aircraft as a moment of tranquility and not disturb other passengers.”

And who will regulate that?

Another reason to pack earplugs

Cell Phones, Etiquette

Since December 2007 Air France has been testing a service that allows travelers to use their cell phones in-flight for communication services that include SMS and e-mail, but not for voice-calls.

As of today, travelers can also use their cell-phones to make and receive voice calls – but only on one Airbus A318 that’s used for various routes in Europe.

Seat-back leaflets and cabin crew announcements will let travelers know if they’re on the “lucky flight.” Feedback will be gathered to determine if customers prefer data only or data and voice.

For now, the system allows the downloading of email attachments, unlimited SMS and emails, and up to six simultaneous calls. But OnAir, the company providing the service, says adding phone call capacity is easy.

Hopefully not too easy….

For more information, read the Air France press release.