What is the proper armrest etiquette on a plane?

For example: If a larger person is sitting next to a middle seat, it would be courteous to give up the armrest. Then there's the perspective of flight attendants, who are arguably the best resource for opinions on armrests. According to Reader's Digest, they say it plainly — the middle seat gets the armrests.



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A Guide to Proper Airplane Etiquette
  • Be prepared. This is especially true at airport security. ...
  • Greet the flight attendants. ...
  • Don't hog the overhead bins. ...
  • Be sensitive to your seatmate. ...
  • Give the middle passenger a break. ...
  • Don't bring stinky food on board. ...
  • Think before you recline. ...
  • Control the kids.


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Here are a few questions that make us flight attendants cringe.
  • What Is The Pilot Drinking? ...
  • The Gate Agent Said You Could Seat Us Together? ...
  • Can I Just Sit Here? ...
  • What Hotel Do You Stay At? ...
  • (Ringing The Call Button) Can I Have A Coke? ...
  • What? ...
  • How Many Days Do You Work? ...
  • Is This Your Usual Route?


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At the entrance, flight attendants can also get a close look at boarding passengers and what they are carrying. For example, if someone wants to bring an oversized piece of hand luggage onto the plane that was not noticed at the gate, there is still the option of having it checked in.

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A strategy that travelers have been trying for years to varying degrees of success is the middle seat trick — when checking in online, two people traveling together will each select the aisle and window seats in a three-seat row and hope that the middle seat remains open.

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Traditionally, the first officer sits on the right-hand side of a fixed-wing aircraft (right seat) and the left-hand side of a helicopter (the reason for this difference is related to, in many cases, the pilot flying being unable to release the right hand from the cyclic control to operate the instruments, thus they ...

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How to make your flight attendant like you
  1. Say hi back. If a flight attendant greets you upon boarding, don't just ignore them. ...
  2. Listen to the safety demo. It's just polite. ...
  3. Headphones off! ...
  4. Be specific when ordering. ...
  5. Same for cold drinks. ...
  6. Say please and thank you. ...
  7. Magazines! ...
  8. Treats.


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It's fun and personally rewarding to give gifts to flight attendants. Based on everything I've heard and experienced, coffee gift cards or packs of candy are almost a sure-fire hit. Just estimate one flight attendant for every 50 seats on a plane. That gives you an idea of how many gifts to bring.

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It's not abnormal — especially post-pandemic — to see passengers on a flight wearing medical masks. Flight attendants may make note of these passengers as potentially feeling sick, but they will also look for swollen or red eyes, sweating, or sweating when scanning guests.

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Passenger Safety Tips
  • Pay attention to the flight attendant safety briefing at the beginning of your flight and read the safety briefing card.
  • Buckle up. ...
  • Use an approved child safety seat or device if your child weighs less than 40 pounds.
  • Prevent in-flight injuries by following your airline's carry-on restrictions.


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No. Therefore, tipping is discouraged. So while you may see a cash tip as a nice gesture, it might be prohibited by the airline entirely and flight attendants may not appreciate it either as they — rightly — see themselves as safety professionals and not customer service workers.

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