I pride myself on going with the flow. With being able to pick up on the situation around me, adapt, and find the most efficient way to get through the situation. This particular survival instinct comes in handy, especially at airports and on airplanes, where despite the chaos, there’s always an artery of order like everyone’s following a policy update I never got an e-mail about. 

Thankfully, travel search engine Kayak partnered with AYTM (Ask Your Target Market) and Branchwatch’s Consumer Research Platform to find out exactly what these rules are. 

“We deliberately released these ahead of the busiest summer travel weekend of the year,” Matt Clarke, VP of marketing North America at Kayak, told Travel + Leisure, “strategically coining the term ‘unspoken rules of air travel’ because the rule of the air can be so complicated that only the truly egregious things are covered.”

The etiquette many wish their fellow travelers to follow seems, at least to me, common sense. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. For instance, Kayak’s rules state that travelers should not bring bad-smelling food, like hardboiled eggs or raw meat or fish, onto a plane. Pizza should not be allowed either, per Kayak’s survey, unless the traveler brought enough to share with everyone.

Some Rules I Can’t Believe We Have To Say Out Loud 

For those of us who still romanticize air travel, we can forget that it’s just a different type of public transportation. Maybe it’s the price point of tickets, the hassle of getting through security; once you’re through the other side, even the air is different. There’s a sense of order to the ebb and flow of people, the tides changing with each flight arrival and departure. 

But even before you get on the plane, it’s important to remember there are other people around you. So some things that seem strange to do in public – like brushing your teeth in an airport bathroom – are actually acceptable. According to Kayak’s survey, 53% of travelers believe you having fresh breath benefits everyone.

But other hygiene activities, like your skincare routine and shaving, should be done elsewhere. No one wants to clean up or try to wash their hands in a sink full of a stranger’s tiny hairs. 

Like, ‘Keep Your Socks On’

When you’re on an airplane, while each has its own hospital-grade High-Efficient Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, it’s important to remember the air is recycled and that smell lingers. There is no burst of fresh-from-outside air coming in for presumably hours. 

So, to the 24 percent of people who believe taking off your shoes and socks is okay, please stop. And if you’re thinking of using your five-hour flight to file or clip your nails, at least 80% of your fellow passengers wish you wouldn’t. Do that at home or in the airplane bathroom if you have to, but not in your seat. 

Yes, air travel can feel luxurious, but it’s still public transportation. It’s important to remember the “public” part. This means no one wants to hear your phone call while boarding or deplaning, hear what you’re watching or listening to – and we definitely don’t want to smell (or see) your feet. 

The Best Ways to Take Up Space on Airplanes 

Perhaps this is a side effect of “flying while female,” but I never recline my seat and avoid the armrest unless I know the person next to me. But it turns out, depending on the situation, it’s not rude to take up space on a plane. 

According to Kayak’s survey, one-third of participants believe reclining your seat is acceptable, but only on a long or overnight flight. 

But if you’re planning on reclining for a more comfortable sleeping position, and you’re not in the window seat, you need to remember there are people next to you who may need to get up and around you. Be prepared to wake up to let your neighbors out of or into your row. 

Speaking of common courtesy, why not deplane row by row? Everyone on the plane has somewhere else other than the plane they need to be and according to Kayak, 58% of travelers think it’s rude to try and rush or push your way off. 

Also, be sure to thank your crew members on your way out. They can’t hear everyone’s clapping behind the closed cockpit door, but they are the ones responsible for making sure everyone made it safely to their destination. 

A Rundown of the Rules

Remembering to be polite and aware of the people around you is really what’s at the heart of Kayak’s ‘unspoken rules of air travel.’ Thankfully, the silence has been broken, and the air is being cleared. We’re now free to roam around the world as, hopefully, happier – and politer – travelers. 

To recap: 

• Wear headphones. Put in earbuds. Do something to contain the noise of whatever you’re doing or watching. If someone else has on headphones, do not try to make small talk. 

• Save your phone calls for when you’re off the plane if you can. 

• Leave your shoes and socks on. Especially when you go use the restroom. 

• If you’re in the middle seat, pick one armrest; you don’t get both. 

• Save reclining your seat for long or overnight flights. 

• Napping is fine, but snoring and blocking your row mates from being able to get up to use the bathroom is not. 

• Brushing your teeth in the airport bathroom is more than acceptable. Your fellow travelers prefer you to have fresh breath. 

• Other hygiene activities – like shaving, doing your nails, or doing your skincare routine – should not be done at your seat or in an airport or airplane bathroom. 

• Instead of clapping, thank crew members on your way off the plane. They can’t hear you with the cockpit door closed and locked. 

• If you’re bringing pizza on the plane, bring enough for the whole flight. It’s not fair to make the rest of us drool. 

To help educate the traveling masses, Kayak’s full list of “rules” will be on display in all major airports across the country through the summer and can be downloaded at kayak.com.