Passenger Shaming

If you are one of those who don't think twice about resting your legs between the armrests of those sitting ahead in your airplane or hogging all the arm rest, consider this a warning. Social media has once again come to the rescue of passengers who have had to put up with gross behaviour. An instagram account now chronicles your misdeeds and shames you. After animal shaming (mostly pet dogs), this is what everyone on the internet seems to be fascinated with for the past few days. And it's really not much of a surprise, as many of us end up meeting fellow travellers who seem to be sitting next to us with the sole intention of annoying us with their bad behaviour.

When and how:
The instagram account was set up by flight attendant Shawn Kathleen in 2013, who often found herself attending to people who were not just badly behaved, but also had some gross habits. She decide to vent out her angst against them by uploading pictures of people who though it was okay to sleep with their hand in pants or clip their nails while on board. It began with a blog called rants of a sassy stew. Kathleen then explored other social networking website and micoblogging sites to vent and give fellow flight attendents and harassed passengers an opportunity to share the pictures that they have managed to snap so that they could shame the miscreants.

Leggy issues:
Looks like most passengers want to put their legs in the air when they are flying. Many pictures that you will see are about people who want a lot of legroom and are willing to do anything to get it. Most people find a way to squeeze their fit either on the armrest between the passengers occupying the seats in front of them, while others stretch them in the aisle. But that's not all some people rest their feet on the tray table, others against their fellow, while the rest have managed to fold themselves and their legs can be seen hanging midair.

And it gets worse:
But feet aren't the only thing troubling the flight attendants. Some people have left diapers strewn on the floor; others have left behind clipped nails and of course dirty trays. Men felt it was alright to go shirtless during the flight, and some decided to sleep with their hands in their pants! Besides not flushing toilet after using it, using the aisle as an extension of your seat while sitting as well as sleeping and leaving your trash behind are among the other pet peeves of flight attendants. And if that doesn't sound bad enough, some unfortunate flight attendants have also had to deal with passengers peeing in the washbasin. Not a great day at work, right?

Flying manners:
Here are a few basic things you can follow to make sure that you, your fellow passengers as well as the flight attendants have a good trip:
1. Learn to give others their space.
2. Plug your headphone when you want to listen to music or watch a film.
3. It's not acceptable to burp and pass gas while in a flight.
4. Acknowledge the presence of the flight attendants. Greeting them while getting on and off flight won't hurt you.
5. If you are going to take off your shoes, either wear socks or ensure that your feet aren't stinking.
6. It would do everyone good if you keep your clothes on.
7. If you are flying in the economy, don't expect service meant for executive class.
8. Ensure that you flush when you are done using the toilet.
9. Don't hog the armrest or space in the overhead cabin.
10. You may be heading for a holiday, but that doesn't mean you can be loud and nosiy on the flight.