Dear Montana Travelers, Don’t Punish Everyone With Your Behavior

Over the past few weeks, I have done quite a bit of air travel, not only locally but internationally as well. We had some flight cancelations, like a lot of the country, and we were stranded for three extra days in London, England. We were weary travelers by the time we finally got home.

Overhead Bins Are For Luggage

The more I travel by air, the more, it seems to me, that a lot of people have become selfish. When I fly out of Montana almost always, the flights are full. With more people, comes more carry-on luggage. When we were boarding our flight out of Montana, the airline asked repeatedly for volunteers to check their bags at no charge. No one was willing to do it. The airline started checking bags involuntarily. We weren’t able to check our luggage since we were traveling internationally. When we finally boarded the plane, it was full. As we struggled to find places for our luggage in the overhead bins, with the help of a flight attendant, we saw a lot of things besides luggage. There were jackets, purses, small backpacks, scarves, and hats taking up space that is supposed to be for luggage. All of those things could have been stowed away under a seat. Why couldn’t a jacket, or a hat, be packed away in a bag for the trip? If you are afraid of getting cold on the plane, then take your jacket or hat in the seat with you, don't take up overhead bin space, because you don't want to pack your bags. All of this delayed the flight by twenty minutes.

Sick Travelers, Please Think of Others

If you are sick and you know you have to fly, I suggest that you take some medicine beforehand. Or at the very least wear a mask. When you are trapped in a tube with 150 to 300 other people and you are coughing at the people around you for hours, maybe, just maybe you can try to not get them all sick.

We're In This Together

Traveling by air is stressful for a lot of people, but it doesn't have to be selfish too. There are literally hundreds of other people that are affected by your actions, so try to be thoughtful and courteous to others as you take to the skies.