This was published 9 years ago
Passenger shaming on planes: Bad behaviour exposed on the web
By Lee Tulloch
Airline etiquette: Do you cross the line?Credit: Getty Images
Qantas has announced it has put in place dress codes for passengers who wish to use the airline's premium lounges, effective April 1.
Enforced at the discretion of lounge staff, this means that no singlets, bare feet, thongs, loud logo T-shirts, torn jeans, or any generally scruffy demeanour will be allowed. So you thong-wearers (footwear type) are on notice.
I haven't ever spotted a pair of bare feet in a premium airport lounge but I have over the years seen a few people dressed as if they'd stripped off for a backyard barbecue. It doesn't really bother me so long as they aren't sweaty. Each to his own.
At the same time, I think it's a shame that some people don't get into the spirit of things and dress comfortably but smartly when they're off on an overseas adventure and they're lucky enough to be flying in the front of the plane. This is especially so when they're sipping Bollinger and dining on the Rockpool menu in the elegant Qantas first-class lounge at Sydney Airport. But I recognise I do sound like a copy of Vogue circa 1968 when I say that.
It always amazes me what passengers rock onto the plane wearing, especially for long-haul flights. Even if your destination is somewhere beachy, it strikes me as insane to board a plane in thongs and singlets or halter tops without a thick cardigan and socks packed into your carry-on to keep you warm when the airconditioning is jacked up. Those with the least clothes on tend to be those who drink the most, to keep themselves warm.
The world is full of idiots and it certainly feels like that when you're stuck in close confines with a few hundred of your fellow human beings for 14 hours. I've seen bare-chested passengers and passengers who strip down to underpants when it's sleeping time on the flight. They make those who sensibly board wearing fleece pyjamas and carrying pillows look positively chic.
The world is full of idiots and it certainly feels like that when you're stuck in close confines with a few hundred of your fellow human beings for 14 hours.
Be warned, though, ye of little consideration for other passengers in your dress and behaviour. There's a thing called Passenger Shaming and it's coming to your next flight. Your fellow travellers have noticed you and they've snapped your filthy bare feet as you've propped them up on the bulkhead wall and they've posted them on Facebook and Instagram for the world to see.
Passenger Shaming is the name of a website (and Facebook page and Instagram account) which is devoted to outing the many and various forms of boorish behaviour humans perpetrate on each other when flying. If you flick through the thousands of posts, you'll find a good many photos of bare feet, especially on the armrests of the seat in front, hanging out into the aisle, lining up for the toilet (eww) or flexing in the space underneath the lockers as fitness-conscious flyers do their yoga in their seats.
There are quite a few bare chests too, usually attached to arms that are attached to beer cans. Other call-outs include the mind-boggling number of people who treat planes as beauty parlours and clip their toenails and fingernails, apply nail polish or pull out nose hair when sitting next to a perfect stranger.
Enjoy the inflight entertainment, if you can. A photo from Passenger Shaming.Credit: Passenger Shaming
People shamed include the girl in the seat in front who hangs her long hair over the food tray of the passenger behind, the open-mouthed snorer, the stranger who uses his neighbour's shoulder as a pillow, the nappy-changer who does it in her seat, then shoves the dirty nappy in the seat pocket, and the man who urinates in his coffee cup because he can't be bothered getting up.
There's even a charming photo of a guy sitting up on an airport recycle bin using it as a toilet – there's a guard in the foreground, seemingly unconcerned. Perhaps this is common behaviour at certain airports. I've been to a few where I think it might be.
My favourite is the woman who spent the entire flight with one of those eco grocery bags over her head. Who hasn't felt like doing that at one time or another? It's also a very sensible idea and worth packing a bag for emergencies, like when having a neighbour who talks non-stop.
So if you're going to strip down to your knickers so you can get comfortable in 52A, just be aware that there's a citizen journalist on your case. And your rear view may become as famous as Kim Kardashian's.
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