Etiquette

All the latest articles about Etiquette

Jason Barger wants folks to be nicer to each other at the airport – and everywhere else – and he’s written a book that he hopes will convince people to turn off their personal auto-pilots and start paying attention to what’s going on around them. In the self-published Step Back from the Baggage Claim, Barger […]

Etiquette

Stept Back from the Baggage Claim

Coffee, tea or laptop privacy screen?

09/26/08

It’s icky, irritating, rude — and relatively rare — at least for now. But as in-flight Wi-Fi becomes a reality, some flight attendants, passengers and parents are worried that passengers booting up pornography, violent content, and other potentially inappropriate content on their laptops at 35,000 feet will become a real problem. Find out what travelers, […]

Is Courtesy Contagious?

09/18/08

My Well Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com this week is all about courtesy – and the efforts to encourage it – on buses, subways, and trains. Many of the strategies public transit agencies are trying out could help air travelers get along with each other inside airports and on airplanes as well. For example, wouldn’t […]

public transit

How to avoid getting booted off an airplane

07/17/08

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 […]

Spitting, slurping, and other tips for traveling to Beijing

07/10/08

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. […]

Beijing Summer Olympics

Why should you mind your manners on an airplane?

07/09/08

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: […]

Summer refresher course for air travelers

06/26/08

Do higher fares, new baggage check fees, and the inevitable long lines at the security checkpoints have you dreading your next trip to the airport? Maybe I can help: here’s a link to the Well-Mannered Traveler summer refresher course posted today on MSNBC.com. There’s even a chance to earn extra credit. Column illustration by Duane […]

Beware the ‘dreaded year-end nose pickers’

06/05/08

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 […]

Cell phones on airplanes? Not for these folks

05/16/08

Would you put up with a seat mate who spends the entire flight on the phone? “No way,” was the response of most everyone who weighed in after reading my recent Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com about an Air France plane that allows in-flight calls. See what they said and add your vote to the […]

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Stuck at the airport