Airline worker reveals harsh truths about passenger etiquette and who’s in the right
A FORMER flight attendant has revealed some harsh truths about passenger etiquette in a bid to solve some of the biggest arguments around travel.
Dealing with other people on planes is one of the worst aspects of air travel, but flight expert Belle Valise (@BelleValise) has tried to lay out the laws to let everyone know who is in the right.
In a video on Tiktok, she started off by setting out her credentials on why she is the best person to listen to on all aspects of airline arguments.
She said: “As a person who has previously worked in airline reservations and then as a flight attendant, and now a corporate traveller who travels the world 100 days a year for the past ten years, I consider myself one of the foremost experts on airplane and airport etiquette.”
She then moved on to some of the thorny airline etiquette issues that often leave people divided.
Reclining
On reclining, Belle explained that it’s perfectly acceptable to put your chair back, even if there’s a taller person sitting behind you.
She said: “I’m sorry, tall travellers, but passengers are entitled to recline their seat when traveling on an airplane.
“When you buy a seat, you are entitled to the full functionality of that seat. You are entitled to recline your seat.”
Spreading
Belle wasn’t particularly helpful for taller passengers here either, saying that just even if the passenger next to you is smaller, you’re still not entitled to spread out into their space.
She said: “You are paying for the complete real estate between one armrest and the other armrest.
“So gentlemen, just because I’m a small woman does not mean you get to manspread into my real estate.
“That belongs to me and I have fully paid for it. Now, of course, as a reasonable human being, if you have a little bit of squish that comes over into my seat, I am not going to say anything. I’m going to be completely polite.
“But you don’t get to choose to spread into my seat just because you decide that you are entitled to more room than I take up.”
Children on board
Some people hate being on planes with kids, but according to Belle, those people have no right to complain about it.
She said that children have just as much right to be on the flight as anyone else and that parents don’t need to apologise or feel bad when their kids disrupt others.
She said: “Babies and toddlers are allowed to fly. Airplanes are a frequently used mode of transportation that get humans from one place to another.
“Last time I checked, babies and toddlers were humans. You do not need to bring extra gifts and apology notes for all of the people who are going to surround you.
“We were all babies or toddlers once. Everybody can just get over it and relax into the fact that humans that are small might make noise, that is not a breach of etiquette on your part if your baby cries.
“It’s a breach of etiquette on the part of the people around you, if they make you feel uncomfortable about the noises that your baby or toddler makes.”
Dressing inappropriately
Belle also gave a dressing down to the people who like to dress up when going through an airport.
Her advice is to be prepared to have to remove clothes for the airport security scanners, instead of dressing like you would for a glamorous night out.
She said: “What is a breach of etiquette is going to or through the security line improperly dressed.
“You slow down the entire line because you have to take off all of your bangles and your accessories and your strappy sandals that you have decided to wear.
“Dress for the security line, not for a fashion show at the airport, because your fashion choices shouldn’t slow down everybody else who’s going through the airport.”
Belle isn’t the only person to try and solve some big questions regarding travel etiquette.
Tiktoker and frequent flyer Ben Keenan (@ivebentraveling) made a long list detailing how people should and shouldn’t act whenever they fly.
He agreed with Belle that people should be able to recline their seats if they want to, but added an extra caveat.
He said: “If you’re going to recline your seat, go ahead and make sure that the people behind you aren’t resting their head on your seat or using that tray table.
“Because do you know how many times I’ve been smashed in the head by somebody who just aggressively leans back?”
Meanwhile this passenger sparked a debate on Reddit after refusing to swap seats with a woman and her disabled partner.
And this mum revealed how she gets passengers to swap seats without causing any problems during a flight.