Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said it. Phrased in the king's english, he said:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

It makes common sense.

Then again, apparently not.

When you get on an airplane, where the tight quarters in economy have you spooning with your neighbor for half a day on trans-oceanic flights, then decorum and social graces take a beating. A recent news headline brought out social gaffes.

 

Jeanie Daniels told CNN affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston that she was painting her nails in her seat on a recent Southwest Airlines flight from California to see her Houston-based boyfriend. When a flight attendant asked her to stop, she did. But she decided to finish the last two nails in the airplane bathroom. A confrontation when she came out prompted her to use some profane language with another flight attendant, which got her arrested when the plane landed in Houston.

The author of the CNN article lists various things to consider before boarding the flight:

  • Even if it's an early morning flight, take a shower.
  • Do not bring stinky food on a flight -- not fruit, not cheese, not your mama's barbeque -- even for your lunch.
  • As a parent facing a poop-tastrophe when your child (ed: or spouse, as I recently experienced on a flight), change the diaper in the lavatory.
  • Don't disrobe a stink bomb in the cabin in the form of your smelly feet.
  • A recent CNN commenter writes: I am a flight attendant and in the past have had to tell a wife to stop trimming her husband's toenails (yes, they were flying everywhere).

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN

And the passengers defend their rights to continue - even risking arrest. Unbelievable. But sadly, true.

Here are a few of my pet peaves.

At the airport

Following the flight, your family or friends pick you up at the airport. When you depart baggage claim, do you really have to stand at the only exit and hug everyone - blocking the exit? Get out of the way and let the other passengers greet their families.

When you are unsure which direction to take, don't stop at the bottom of the escalator to orient yourself. You will get run over. Really. You don't have eyes the back of your head, but take my word for it, those people you cut off before boarding the moving staircase, they are bearing down on you.

My daughter, a Lufthansa employee in Frankfurt, has stopped young adults and made them pull up their baggy pants to cover their exposed underwear. Does everyone really want to see your tight-whities?

On the road

If your car is your absolute pride and joy, park it far away from the entrance where no one can scratch your pristine doors rather than taking the handicap space, or strattling two spots. Rude.

Some drivers feel that it is their personal right to lead a parade of cars simply because they have slowed to a crawl looking for the right entrance or correct address. Consideration of others might mean using the rearview mirror and getting off the road occasionally to let people pass while you decide where you need to go.

Personal care

Let's be honest, we all have physical hygiene that is better addressed in private. We have fears that slow our progress - move to the side so that others can get around you.

How about a little more consideration of others? Be aware of your surroundings. Don't be a jerk.

Now my rant is over.