I remember one particular red-eye flight where I was THAT person — you know, the very last one to board (I had a sprained ankle and had gotten practically strip-searched at security), in a middle seat, and with a bulging day pack that I could barely cram into the overhead compartment. As I limped my way to the back of the plane, the unbuckled hip belt on my day pack began slapping dozing passengers in their faces. I didn’t realize it until a flight attendant chased me down and admonished me for giving the passengers such rude awakenings.
Although my friends and I still laugh about the situation, it was actually pretty embarrassing. Perhaps if I had been educated on airplane etiquette, I would’ve been more aware of the effect of my actions on other passengers. I’d like to think I was just exhausted and rushed, but that’s still no excuse for smacking people in the face.
It appears that I’m not the only unaware passenger out there. Delta is attempting to raise awareness of proper airline etiquette with a series of animations to be shown during flights. According to the Associated Press, the snippets include “Middleman,” about the middle-seat bully; “Kidtastrophe,” depicting unruly tots on planes; “Lav Dance,” about the person who bumps into everyone in the airplane aisle while returning from the lavatory; and “Shady Lady,” about the passenger who raises or closes the window shade without considering other passengers.
So far, none about the passenger who smacks everyone in the face with her hip belt. Whew.