Q. I travel frequently to Cape Town where I have
a house. I always fly in business class or sometimes in first class. I wonder when it is permissible as opposed to rude to put up the barrier between me and a total stranger in the seat next door during the 11.5 hours flight?
J.L., London SW10 A. It is generally accepted that all first and business class passengers want mental privacy during the flight but there are two schools of thought regarding the etiquette of achieving this. One frequent-flying fiber-alpha of my acquaintance holds that, ‘It is always appropriate to put up the barrier. The primary rules of business class/first class travel are: (i) no eye contact with your ‘seat mate’; (ii) no querying about what he/she is going to choose off the menu; (iii) no helping of your seat mate in putting his/her baggage in the overhead compartment — that is the job of the flight stewards; (iv) no laughing or crying if you are watching a film and your seat mate is trying to sleep; and (v) no offering to share a taxi (or your limo if you should be so lucky) from the airport.’ Less work-stressed sophisticates believe it correct to make smiling, non-verbal eyecontact once with each of your fellow voyagers, just to establish benignity, before settling quietly down and putting up the barrier. If it is sensed that the inexperienced seat mate adjacent may be offended by your instant exclusion, then bring out a lap-top and open it up to complicated financial spreadsheets. Tell him/her not to be insulted, but company rules require you to put up the barrier when you are looking at very confidential financial information.
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