# Should you be able to use the armrests when on a plane? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376 "2022-10-17T17:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376/61 "2022-10-24T17:51:04Z")
Aren’t they hard to get by TSA though? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376/62 "2022-10-24T17:53:53Z")
Some people’s elbows are quite sharp. And scaly. Maybe show-up with a raging rash (or a fake rash) on your arms - that’ll get you the armrest for the whole flight. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376/63 "2022-10-24T18:28:45Z")
Need to be careful rashes - my SIL ended up having to rent a car and drive her daughter with chickenpox from Minneapolis to New Jersey when they wouldn’t let them on the plan (now, it was a highly communicable disease but they only knew that because of the rash). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376/64 "2022-10-24T21:23:50Z")
O/T, but why in the world was your SIL trying to take a sick child with (as you say, highly infectious) chickenpox on a plane anyway? Needed treatments at a NJ hospital or something? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376/65 "2022-10-24T21:32:28Z")
They live in NJ - I don’t remember what family event they were back in Minnesota for, but it was time for everyone to go home. It was long enough ago that I don’t remember details (like why my brother didn’t help her drive (she did the whole thing in one shot)(I guess maybe he was in charge of getting the two healthy kids home on the plane)), but it has entered family lore. I have many brothers and one thing we have all figured out is that if any of the SILs has decided that they are going to do something, you just stand back because the odds are good that they have it handled. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376/66 "2022-10-24T21:33:28Z")
Oh I see, thanks for relieving my puzzlement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-be-able-to-use-the-armrests-when-on-a-plane/973376.md?page=3)