9 plane etiquette rules every passenger should follow

Discover the indisputable rules of domestic plane etiquette.

Planes can be a wild place. All of a sudden, you’re forced into the personal space of many random strangers. You even have to share the (rather unpleasant) air with them. And something about that turns otherwise civilised people into animals. Debates on plane etiquette will pop up on the internet time and again, but we have the unquestionable list that all plane passengers should be following for a brighter world.

Read on, and take note.

1. Never put your seat back

There is never an excuse to lower the back of your seat on a domestic flight. Domestic planes are much tighter spaces and those of us who are six foot and over simply cannot squeeze our legs into the tiny gap that is left when the chair in front of us is leaning back. The maximum length of flight around Australia is what, five hours? You can sit upright for five hours. If you can’t… catch the train.

2. Don’t dig into the seat in front

Unless the seat in front of you has broken rule number one, don’t dig, bang or hang on their seat back. But if they have broken rule number three, well then they’ve made their own bed and they can get kneed in the back for it.

Think of the tall people. (Image: Getty/ Chalabala)

3. Armrests are for the middle seat

I don’t know how to make this any clearer – the middle seat sucks and the only saving grace is having both the armrests. The aisle seat has its own armrest, and the window seat can lean into the wall of the plane.

I will die on this hill.

person holding onto chair armrests in plane — If you’re not in the middle, stay away from the middle armrests. (Image: Getty/ Skynesher)

4. Keep your feet to yourself

It’s the eternal mystery, but for some reason there will always be people who can’t grasp where their foot space begins and ends on a plane. Some people will also get hung up on the barefoot issue, but to be honest, I truly don’t care as long as you keep your foot in the imaginary box of your chair. And, just to remind you all, I am a tall woman saying this. If I can do it, so can you.

crowd of people walking — Watch where your feet go. (Image: Getty/ bee32)

5. Be polite

Just as with hotel staff, the obvious, yet often ignored, answer to getting the best out of people is simply to be kind and polite. That goes for both the airline staff, and your fellow guests. If you ask for things nicely and respectfully, more often than not, you’ll receive an agreeable answer. Yes, even when things seem to be going wrong.

6. Don’t push someone to switch seats

Sometimes, in plane travel, you will not be seated next to your party. Sucks to be you, but may I just say: too bad. If it’s important to sit next to your travel companions – be they friend, lover or offspring – pay the extra $20 to choose your seat ahead of time.

What you certainly should not do is guilt a fellow passenger into switching seats with you just because they’re travelling solo. If you have the same seat (or better, you may ask the question – in a casual, guilt-free tone. But if the answer is no, sit yourself down and buckle up for a ride without your nearest and dearest. It’s no one else’s fault that you’re not sitting together, and it’s likely every person on that plane has been very intentional about their seat choice.

Controversially, as someone who does love kids, I also have to apply this to parents and kids. There may be some slim exceptions to this, but in general, it’s no excuse to behave poorly.

plane about to take off at sunset — Planes just aren’t that big, deal with your seat. (Image: Getty/ Gremlin)

7. Switch if you can, though

Having said that, if you’re flying solo and the seat swap you’re being asking for is the exact same position (or better) in a different row, you really should just say yes. If they’re trying to force you into a middle seat though, you hold strong on that no.

8. Don’t hog the overhead bins

Some passengers are just so darn desperate to fit everything into a carry on bag, that they screw everyone else over by hogging more than their fair share of the overhead bins. The rules are, one small bag up the top, one even smaller.

man putting luggage in storage bin on plane — Be reasonable with your carry-on. (Image: Space_Cat)

9. Wait your turn to get off the plane

There is an order to deboarding the plane, and it goes row by row. We can all agree on that. However, I do have just a couple of caveats. The first is if someone is desperate to go to the toilet, they can’t get to the plane toilet because the aisles are filled, and they’re very open and honest about the desperate need to get to the loo with passengers around them who are perhaps moving a little slowly – just step aside for one moment and let them run off. Don’t be such a stickler for the etiquette rules that you literally elbow them to stop them getting in front of you, even though you’re in no way ready to walk off the plane.

Pointing this out for a friend, not from my own life. Personally.

The other is that if someone is literally ready to race off the second the plane lands, no need to gather things or get a bag from the overhead locker, probably just let them go.

line of people with suitcases at airport — Line up, and wait. (Image: Getty/ Izusek)

Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.

Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.

walking trails in the Yarra Valley — You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)

I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.

A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy

holding a glass of wine at Yarra Valley Dairy — Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)

With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.

a cheese tasting plate atYarra Valley Dairy — A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.

I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.

Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.

Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate

Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.

As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate , I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.

oysters at Restaurant 1309, Balgownie Estate — Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.

On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.

I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.

kangaroos in Yarra Valley — Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels

the Yarra Valley vineyards — Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)

Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.

COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.

It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.

A detour to the Dandenong Ranges

legs hanging over the sides of the train, Puffing Billy Railway — The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.

The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.

I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.

The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.

After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.

Playing there

the TarraWarra Museum of Art, Yarra Valley — Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art . Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.

Eating and drinking there

Olinda Tea House offers an Asian-inspired high tea. Paradise Valley Hotel, Clematis has classic pub fare, while the iconic Yering Station offers wine tastings and a restaurant with seasonal dishes.

seasonal dishes at the restaurant inside Yering Station — The restaurant at Yering Station showcases the best produce of the Yarra Valley. (Image: Visit Victoria)