not as bad as letting a SBD - silent but deadly - go in the tunnel waiting to baord

I agree with a lot of the posters on here. Any odor causing activity is inappropriate anywhere on a plane. Back in Nov 2003, I was napping on a Continental flight about 30 minutes out of Boston. Someone doused themselves in perfume or hairspray or something. I woke up wheezing and light headed. I couldn't get to my inhaler fast enough to stop the attack. I passed out in the aisle trying to get away from the offending vapor. I woke up with an oxygen mask on, my shirt wide open, and the FAs and a doctor staring down at me.

The good news...we were expedited into Boston 15 minutes ahead of schedule. I had almost fully recovered.

The bad news...everyone had to wait for EMS arrive, assess my condition, and get me off the plane. I got a nice side trip to Mass General and got to pay close to $500 in emergency room fees out of pocket after copays.

Just because something doesn't bother you, doesn't mean it isn't incredibly distressing to someone else.

Kind of like those who are allergic to peanut dust.

While this is true, and clearly most of us don't wish to cause anyone distress, I'm almost certain that nearly everyone can find some substance or odor irritating or distressing. And I would argue (though I don't know for certain) that those who are severely (ie, physiologically) distressed by common substances or odors are in the minority.

Already in this thread we've identified nail polish (+/- remover), perfume, cologne, and lotion as substances which irritate people. I know people who don't like the smell of tanned leather, new furniture, glue, and paint. Personally, I don't like smelly feet, body odor, etc., and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that respect.

Common sense would dictate that you not overdo the perfume or cologne. Yet common sense should also motivate people to take a shower, not to wear footwear which allows odor to escape into the cabin, not to break wind, etc. Why, in circumstances where organic wrongs are committed, is there no glaring, no pointed comments, or the like? Or is there?

I'm being a bit facetious in some of my comments, but I do have difficulty determining how to be everything to every one of my fellow passengers.

There is a difference between behaviour which is annoying, gross, disgusting or disturbing and that which creates a medical problem or crisis (as indicated above in ALM5150's post). I have severe allergies including a life threatening one. I carry 2 double epi pens and don't live in a bubble. I take my chances and hope that one of these days they'll come up with something that will prevent/cure my allergies. I'm not going to stop flying/stay in hotels/go to restaurants/public, etc. but would appreciate people not doing things like apply perfume in public. I am sure that the people doing this have no idea that they are harming someone else. I don't think anyone does this maliciously. Hopefully, this thread will open some eyes.

Please remove "chat" from your list of acceptable activities. It is a real problem for me on US domestic flights when pax seem to delight in talking at the top of their voices to one another about the most uninteresting, inane topics. Unfortunately Noise Cancelling headphones don't drown out loud talkers and hte clanging sound emanating from them at higher volumes are unpleasanet for others too. Please people, fart away but for Pete's sake keep your bloody traps shut.

And that's exactly why I leave my leather sofa at home when I fly.

There are tons of comments about organic wrongs as well. They are just as unacceptable, but maybe for slightly different reasons. As I said before, any odor causing activity should be avoided.

I get your point about trying to be everything to everyone, but common sense seems to be a lost skill for some people. Picking up on fellow passengers non-verbal cues should be very telling, but is also a lost skill...perhaps a deliberate loss at that.

It never ceases to amaze me. You can jam 100 people into a metal tube. 95 of them don't disrupt anything, don't smell like anything, and keep their bathroom behavior in the lav. 5 well placed offenders can ruin the flight for the rest. That tells me that in general, people know what "the rules" are.

^^^

You must not have be able to smell very well. Nail polish is some of the vilest smelling stuff out there. I'd rather have the US Olympic Flatulence team in the same section, than a nail polish addict.

I had a lady on a LAN flight a couple of months ago putting it on, and I just stared at her, unbelieving that someone could be so rude. She never caught on, and finished up, so I just tried to hold my breath for awhile, until the fumes cleared up.

If it smells bad, and the person applying it knows it, its a rude thing to do. If it is a manageable smell (opinion), then let them do it quickly. No reason for the fuss.

For an asthmatic, there is no "opinion" about it. Anaphylactic shock is deadly and can be caused by many things. My asthma hasn't progressed that far yet, but my asthma attacks are equally distressing to me, moreso to the people around me, since they cause me to vomit!

Now that I think about it, that might be a good way to inhibit rude behaviors... Hmmm.

Yes. A woman was doing that to me last summer on a lgw-phl flight. The flight attendant gave her a verbal lashing and removed said acetone from her hands mid-paint. Nice.

FAs are just as disgusted as us by this type of behaviour. I retreated to the galley once to avoid a nosepicker who needed to 'clean' for many minutes; the FAs were also disgusted and listed off their pet peeves, including bare feet on the bulkhead, and diaper changes of any sort not performed in the lav. (I once tattled to a LH purser about a poopy diaper change on the seat in F; his response was quite classic - unfortunately the recipient of the tongue lashing did not speak German, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! )

I'm not sure it's possible to legislate against sweating, vomiting and farting at FL350. But point taken.

While I don't like anyone else applying nail polish, I must confess that I like the smell of nail polish. And Sharpies, white-out etc! Still - not ok for the plane.

Now perfume is another story. I remember when passengers would receive their duty free mid air and the spraying would start! I also hate inserts into magazines - especially when you seat mate is hell bent on opening every single one!