Mile High Manners: Sensible Solutions to Unhygienic Children & Tech-Inept Kiosk Users

Traveling can be a tricky business, one that’s often complicated by unexpected, misery-inducing difficulties. You’ve got tightened airport security to deal with, not to mention delayed flights, discourteous strangers and maybe even a screaming child to top it all off. Sometimes it feels like the whole ordeal isn’t worth the hassle, but fear not! Mile High Manners is here to lend a helping hand and guide you through the polite “do’s and don’ts” of flight etiquette, regardless of the class you’re seated in and situations you come up against. 

Have you ever faced an in-flight encounter or unexpected situation at the airport which you were unsure of how to handle properly? Send your dilemmas to us at [email protected] and check back every Wednesday as we endeavor make the travel experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Q: A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I took a road trip. Upon waking on our last day in the hotel, we decided to head down to the 1^st floor to grab some complimentary breakfast. While I was waiting in line I saw a child eat eggs directly from the bar and place the spoon back into the pan.

I don’t think any of the other guests caught this, but I certainly warned my husband to steer clear of the contaminated eggs. I really wanted to tell someone, I felt like I should tell someone, but I had no idea who to turn to! The man at the front desk? The manager? The child’s parents?

In the end I kept quiet because I didn’t want to make things awkward, a decision I still feel bad about to this day. Should I have alerted hotel staff?

A: Children are pesky little things, are they not? Especially when you place them in hotels and they’re all hopped up on that holiday buzz. What the little darling did in your situation was, naturally, a bit unhygienic, but I don’t think it’s anything to get too worked up about. By all means, though, avoid the eggs, and if you happen to see anyone else go for them you can give them a heads-up.

I don’t think alerting the parents is necessary, if anything, it may just make you look a little neurotic. However, if you’re particularly passionate about food hygiene, then maybe it is best to find a staff member so you can clear your conscience by requesting they replace the contaminated spoon.

Q: Mile High Manners! I’m going to bring something up that I feel like a lot of flyers can relate to. I know patience is a virtue, but OMG people who can’t work the digital check-in kiosks at airports are #IDIOTS.

My boyfriend and I were trying to check-in for our flight at a United kiosk last week and we DEFINITELY waited way longer that we should’ve. I mean it doesn’t take that long to print off tickets! These things are supposed to make checking in faster and easier, yet every single kiosk seemed to be occupied by someone who’d never seen such technology!

Thankfully one opened up and we checked-in just in time for our flight, but I’m still irked by these time-wasters. Is there a polite way to tell tech-inept flyers at the check-in kiosk “HURRY UP OR MOVE OVER!”?

A: It’s ironic that when places like airports try to introduce technology in the hopes of speeding things along, it almost inevitably makes things slower and more congested. The same thing happened when supermarkets first started self-service checkout: there was no end to the torment of trying to get your groceries through that beeping mess of horrors. These self-checkout stations became less of a headache over the years as people acclimated to them, though, and I’m sure airport check-in kiosks will see a similar trend over time.

Frustrating little delays like this always seems to happen when you’re in a great hurry, don’t they, dear reader? You rush to the check-in kiosk thinking it will hurry things along, only to find yourself stuck behind someone who has no idea what they’re doing. My belief is that if you’re not confident when it comes to using this sort of technology, don’t attempt it. Stick to the tried-and-tested method of regular check-in counters. You’ll be less flustered and you won’t hold anyone else up.

The danger here is that all airlines are working their way down the tech-savvy road, which could someday leave travelers trapped in a situation where everything is digital. Perhaps the next time you’re in a mad dash run to catch your flight and stuck behind someone who’s taking too long, politely ask the person if they need assistance. Alternatively, if you’re not inclined to help them, you could ask if it would be okay to jump ahead of them, explaining you’re in a rush and that you’ll be finished in no time.

[Photo: iStock]