Airplane Etiquette: Seven Deadly Sins of Air Travel Passengers

June 24, 2010 — -- Pigs on a plane? That's how some people act while flying. Some.

Not most of us or even many of us, but those who do (and you know who you are) are no picnic for the rest of us. Especially if we have to sit next to you.

This is not about terrorism -- or even the truly nutty things passengers try to pull, like the fellow who recently packed a couple of snakes in his luggage before his flight out of Dulles (TSA officers relieved him of his precious cargo ... very gingerly).

I'm talking about everyday bad behavior, everyday etiquette lapses, everyday sins. Although I suppose the item about "human heads on a plane " is a tiny bit out of the ordinary.

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No. 1: Heads Will Roll

The Sin: Improper Packing

That story about the human heads found on a Southwest plane was just gruesome (but admit it, you read it). The problem? Improper packing (the heads were mislabeled and wrapped with lots of duct tape).

But improper packing isn't just the bane of body part shippers; it can turn normally mild mannered passengers into Bin Hogs (see No. 4); worse, it can cost you big money in bag fees.

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Proper packing -- in a carry-on -- can save a family of four $200 on a single flight. The trick is to pack light: wear your sneakers or good shoes and put the flip flops in the carry-on and don't overestimate the amount of clothes you need. And remember, hotels can probably do your laundry or dry-cleaning a lot more cheaply than what you'd pay for a bag fee or the very steep overweight luggage fee.