# Normal things you refuse to do on a plane **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307 "2011-06-21T16:55:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/41 "2011-06-22T14:23:22Z")
I try to avoid opening the door and going for a stroll outside. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/42 "2011-06-22T14:29:58Z")
Conjugal relations. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/43 "2011-06-22T14:31:45Z")
Seats still recline? I was on a redeye recently and tried to nap. The seat reclined all of 3/4 inch. Seemed pretty pointless. And uncomfortable. Did I mention uncomfortable? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/44 "2011-06-22T16:03:27Z")
Seriously, I’m always a little confused by these threads where everybody complains about people reclining into their laps and shoving their heads into their faces. I haven’t been on a plane in more than a decade where the seats reclined more than two inches, if that. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/45 "2011-06-22T16:53:47Z")
I’ve been lucky enough only to have flown business for flights longer than 3 hours. Flights shorter than that tend to be on small island hopping planes with maybe 20 pax max! cattle class sux big time ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/46 "2011-06-22T18:03:31Z")
I dont like flying. Its boring , expensive and generally unplesant. I do like to talk and wouldn’t mind a friendly convo w/ a stranger, but wouldn’t want to annoy other passengers with my inane banter. I like to read but it gets dull after an hour. And the seats are too uncomfortable to sleep through the flight. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/47 "2011-06-22T18:49:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Using the restroom Don’t usually need to, but not a problem if I do. > [@](#): > > Accessing the contents of the overhead bin Never - I stash my stuff when I get on. If there is anything I might use during the flight, it’s in my carry-on under the seat in front of me. Some people seem to be constantly popping up and down getting tiny things out of their overhead bag. Odd. > [@](#): > > Ordering snacks/beverages Seldom, but will if I feel like it. Curious about the air-boozers, but then I suppose there are folks who need alcohol to get through the day. Pity, really. > [@](#): > > Reclining the seat Sure, and all those folks having piss-fits about it are just wound a little toooooo tight IMHO. > [@](#): > > Requesting comfort items from the attendants Haven’t seen these items available for a while. > [@](#): > > Talking to strangers (pleasentries excluded) No - I’m shy and boring. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/48 "2011-06-22T18:56:33Z")
I took ordering snacks and drinks to mean ordering stuff you have to pay for. Hell no. I will take them when they are offered for free. And I’ll go to the bathroom, but only if I need to. I try to avoid the other stuff. If I do recline my seat, I’ll do it a minimal amount, and then only if the clown in front of me has reclined his. (Almost always a he.) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/49 "2011-06-22T19:27:08Z")
I’m surprised at how many people will not talk to strangers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/50 "2011-06-22T19:39:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Seriously, I’m always a little confused by these threads where everybody complains about people reclining into their laps and shoving their heads into their faces. I haven’t been on a plane in more than a decade where the seats reclined more than two inches, if that. Really? Not my experience at all. Maybe it’s different on transatlantic flights, but I know multiple times within the last few years I’ve ended up with somebody reclining far enough that I couldn’t use my computer on the tray table. One time it came I thought the guy was going to snap my computer in half, he came down so forcefully and unexpectedly. I do my best to never recline. I’ll do it sometimes if I see the person behind me is reclined, but, even then, I generally only go a couple inches. I generally don’t end up talking to strangers on the flight, but if somebody starts a conversation with me, I’m more than happy to go along with it. I like interacting with people, I’m just not one to initiate in a situation like that, assuming that most people want to be left in peace. It really does make the time pass a lot faster for me. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/51 "2011-06-22T19:47:43Z")
How comes there isn’t an “not walking into the plane in the first place” option? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/52 "2011-06-22T20:19:27Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I’m surprised at how many people will not talk to strangers. As an example - People who live in densely populated big cities tend to become more protective of their more limited personal space - they don’t know their neighbors. Whereas people who live outside of densely populated areas tend to get to know their neighbors. I find that riding on a plane is a microcosm of this, the more tightly packed one is with strangers, the more likely one is to guard their very limited personal space - hence “don’t talk to me, please”. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/53 "2011-06-22T20:32:48Z")
Fascinating, **Icarus.** (Notes username/post combo!) I think you’re on to something there. Personal space as a resource: the more scarce, the more precious. Interesting … ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/54 "2011-06-22T20:38:11Z")
I don’t like not being able to bail on an awkward conversation. The flipside of that is that I fear that _I’m_ the awkward one, and I don’t want someone stuck talking to me if they can’t bail. So I feel it’s best to avoid the situation altogether and keep to myself. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/55 "2011-06-22T20:51:13Z")
I get the “captive audience” thing, but for as many plane conversations as I’ve had, I don’t think I’ve ever had one that lasted the entire duration of the flight. If one party picks up a magazine, or puts on headphones, or closes their eyes, the conversation comes to a pretty natural stop. And it can always be picked up later. I’ve never felt trapped, nor compelled to socialize, on a plane. ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/56 "2011-06-23T03:07:17Z")
I have sat next to plenty of people that won’t get a hint if I pick up my book to stop talking. My huge new awesome headphones have solved this problem now. I’m on a plane about twice a month, I meet people all the time, planes stress me out, so that’s one time when I don’t want to make a new friend. God, I love my new huge headphones. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/57 "2011-06-23T05:17:15Z")
There are the people who don’t get the hint, the people who think everyone in the world is as right wing and religiously nutty as they are and who spew their crazy theories and then are surprised that you don’t agree with them, there are the people who are coming back from their first trip abroad “do you know they have McDonald’s in London?,” etc., etc., the odds of having a good conversation are far smaller than the odds of being trapped next to a nutter for the entire flight. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/58 "2011-06-23T05:59:28Z")
> [@michael\_b](#): > > I will NOT sit next to an overweight person. I have asked (successfully) to switch when I find myself in a situation. I also always try to sit in an exit aisle seat. Also, I try to avoid the restroom at all costs. I have peed on the wall several times due to turbulence. I have experienced the same problem, but in airport toilets. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/59 "2011-06-23T07:05:03Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > I have experienced the same problem, but in airport toilets. If you have an overweight person right next to you in an airport toilet, just ask the Senator to move to the next stall. Oh, you mean peeing… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307/60 "2011-06-23T07:07:58Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Seats still recline? I was on a redeye recently and tried to nap. The seat reclined all of 3/4 inch. Seemed pretty pointless. And uncomfortable. Did I mention uncomfortable? Which airline do you fly - I’m going to book with them. I got stuck behind one of these nitwits on a 737 from EWR to SFO last month. I don’t sneeze, but I do have coughing fits from time to time. I’m a bit tall even in the best of conditions, so my knees do smash the seat back from time to time. But I don’t recline my seat all the way, because there is no reason to make the person behind me suffer just because I’m suffering. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-things-you-refuse-to-do-on-a-plane/586307.md?page=4)