I read. When I'm flying, I prefer to read versus working or watching movies. It's not uncommon for me to pick up a supply of business magazines from the unread pile at home, or to pick up the newest paperback Grisham novel in the airport gift-shop.
When I'm done, I don't want it anymore, but I don't want to throw it out. I have left magazines in the seat back pockets on purpose - I figure a fellow traveler may get bored and find a new perspective interesting.
Is that kosher? Am I just leaving garbage behind?
Same with a paperback... I don't want to lug it around anymore, but I don't want to throw it away. I have often just left a finished novel on a departure gate bench, but my concern is that I don't want to be arrested for either a) littering, or b) leaving a suspicious package. Furthermore, I know if I saw an unattended novel, even as a voracious reader, I'm not likely to pick it up simply because I'm going to assume the owner wandered to the mens room or something.
Does anyone else leave stuff behind for the benefit of their fellow travelers, and how do you let them know they're welcome to it?
I usually toss a newspaper I've read on an empty seat if I see a boarding area with a bunch of bored-looking people in it. Hopefully somebody takes it!
In the seat back pocket they will probably be tossed out when they clean the plane. If you want them to get read again, put them up with the magazines or drop them in the club or see if the FA wants them.
My gym used to have a "leave one, take one" bookshelf in the corner. When you finished a book, you could leave it there, and you could help yourself to anything someone else had left. I always thought that airports would be a great place for something similar.
I always leave my read magazines in the magazine rack of the plane. At least that means that people can pick them up later in the flight to look at, and I often notice that people have done just that. I do realise, however, that they will get tossed after landing. This is fine as I usually am too tired after the first five or so hours to read, so I will have got through any mags early in my flight.
I once found a paperback book in the seat pocket on an outbound flight, read it during flights and layovers as well as at my destination, finished it on the return flight, and left it in the "new" seat pocket.
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This is a travel-related topic well beyond United. We'll share with the broader FT Community by moving it to TravelBuzz. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, United and TravelBuzz forums.
If airports created an area to drop off and pick up old used books and magazines, it would look ratty, fast.
More importantly for the airport, that service would cut into the stores' revenues, which will drive down the rent airports receive from stores.
That's one reason that the places that public areas that have stores that sell newspapers also have lots of recycling containers to collect those newspapers. Wouldn't want you to share your newspaper with anyone; no extra revenue in doing that.
I can't imagine any FAs wanting a used magazine or paperback unless it was a really popular current book (Hunger Games etc). It's just too unlikely that you'd share the same taste. I appreciate though finding a magazine in the seat pocket as long as it is in good taste
I read. When I'm flying, I prefer to read versus working or watching movies. It's not uncommon for me to pick up a supply of business magazines from the unread pile at home, or to pick up the newest paperback Grisham novel in the airport gift-shop.
When I'm done, I don't want it anymore, but I don't want to throw it out. I have left magazines in the seat back pockets on purpose - I figure a fellow traveler may get bored and find a new perspective interesting.
Is that kosher? Am I just leaving garbage behind?
On a plane, I'd say you're leaving garbage. However it seems like an increasing number of hotels and cafes have a shelf of abandoned books free for the taking. Next trip ask the hotel front desk if they have a "courtesy book shelf" as one LQ called it.
