Gee & Ursula discuss the rules of the skies for airline passengers

With the Memorial Day holiday coming up, many will be heading to the airports. The Gee & Ursula Show thought it would be a good time to take up the rules of the skies for airline passengers.

A flight attendant of 21 years wrote a piece in The New York Times about what she believes are some of the common courtesies passengers should follow.

Keep your socks on

This may seem obvious, but we’ve all seen it. Our flight attendant said it’s ok to take off your shoes, but socks, that’s a big NO!

“No one wants to smell your feet, and don’t put them anywhere but below your seat,” host Ursula Reutin said. “And I highly recommend putting your footwear back on to use the lavatory.”

Don’t park on the shoulder at the airport, you can get fined

“She puts it out there because people actually walk in there with bare feet,” show producer Andrew “Chef” Lanier added.

“That’s just nasty. Y’all got to keep them socks on,” host Gee Scott said. “I don’t want that corn chip smell when I’m on an airplane.”

“But I have walked in there with socks on, in all seriousness,” Ursula responded. “And make sure you flush and wipe down on your way out.”

“You’re on your own if you come after me,” Gee said. “Good luck with that.”

Everyone has the right to recline — but there’s a polite way to do it

The flight attendant said don’t slam your chair back without warning, and Gee reluctantly agreed.

“And before you do, pull your seat back, peek behind you, and see what the whole situation is,” Ursula said. “And maybe even ask really nicely if that person minds.”

“What are you going to do if they say ‘no’?” Chef asked.

“If they say no, and it really would bother them, I’m not going to do it,” Ursula said. “I’m not going to push them.”

The overhead bins aren’t your personal Tetris game

The bins are first-come, first-serve in economy class. You don’t own the spot directly above your seat, a flight attendant said.

“It’s not acceptable to take out someone else’s bag to make yours fit,” Ursula said.

“I mean, you don’t, but come on now. Can you just chill?” Gee responded. “If your seat is 15A, don’t put your bags over 9B.”

“If you’re eyeballing and you already see that they’ve shut the compartment over 15, what do you do?” Ursula asked. “You’re not going to go stomp over there, open up the bin, and go, nope, this is mine, and pull it out.”

Deal with your seating issues before you get on the plane

If your family is split up on the flight, the chaotic rush of boarding is not when flight attendants can solve it for you. The gate agents have access to the seating chart and family reservations, so please ask them first if it is possible to change your seats.

But sometimes people ask you to change seats once you are onboard. Do you have an obligation to do it?

“You sure don’t,” Gee said.

“Do you feel like a jerk, though? Ursula asked. “I have yet to refuse someone when they’ve asked if I would switch seats because, usually, it’s for a good reason.”

“I was in first class, and this lady comes up, I don’t know her problem, she comes up, and she says, ‘Hey, can you sit by the window and I sit on this aisle seat?'” Gee said.

“And you said no, I’m in the aisle seat,” Ursula laughed.

Other tips:

• No one wants to hear your Facetime conversation
• Don’t discipline other people’s kids
• Use the call button wisely

Listen to Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.