Checking In With Good In-Flight Manners

I grew up in a family where manners shared a level of importance commensurate with impeccable dental hygiene and unwavering fiscal responsibility. Sentences devoid of "yes ma'am" or "yes sir" fell on deaf ears. "Please" and "thank you" were cemented to each request and acknowledgement, respectively.

Failure to send a thank you note was considered valid proof that you truly had been raised by wolves; and interrupting someone mid-sentence was punishable by an arched eyebrow and spirited rebuke on the drive home.

Amazingly, I survived Camp Decorum and for the most part became a better man for it (or so says my mother). Perhaps my biggest adjustment growing up was realizing that manners are a personal choice not shared by all.

When it comes to airline travel, I often wonder if some of my fellow passengers hitched a ride to the airport on a turnip truck, seemingly oblivious to the ways of playing well with others.

This week, my friend and VIP corporate travel agent supreme, Julie Ellin, gave me renewed hope via email. She wanted to know if I had heard of a program Delta Air Lines was introducing called Planeguage. (No ma'am, it was news to me.)

I read with interest that Delta had produced a series of animated videos for their blog, showcasing some oafish onboard behavior. Each offering was basically a gentle nudge or thinly-veiled lesson on how not to act (that is, just in case one's wolf pack didn't have access to cable or an inclination to socialize.)

So far there are five videos, including Shady Lady, Lav Dance and Kidtastrophe. The hope in releasing these videos is that some viewers will have an epiphany and spring to their feet with newfound awareness that kicking someone's seatback is a no-no or fighting for armrest supremacy is uncivilized behavior. (We can all dream, can't we?)

So far I have not seen myself in any of the animated videos, but I'll keep checking future releases just to make sure.

Take a look for yourself at Planeguage.

You may also want to check it out a video report on AP Live News.

What subject would you like to see addressed on Planeguage?