Yesterday we wrote about the unspoken rules of seatmate etiquette -- what we think of as best practices for that mighty tin can in the sky. But in an ideal world we wouldn't even notice these minor transgressions; instead, we'd be coasting to our destination unmolested. In-flight Zen, if you will.

The best defense for in-flight annoyances, delays and cancellations, seat-kickers and broken tray tables is a good offense. So what keeps you from going crazy on planes? Because seriously, we're planning to spend a lot of time in the air, so we might as well learn to live in the world as it is, not as we would like it.

Related Stories:
· Five Unspoken Rules of Seatmate Etiquette [Jaunted]
· Ryanair Might Charge You For Peeing In-Air [Jaunted]
· Holiday Hell Survival Tips [Jaunted]

[Photo: dead squid]]]> egw 2009-03-05T10:29:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/4/122129/1230

Just because your seat pocket doesn't contain a list of rules for Seatmate Etiquette along with the safety pamphlet and the SkyMall catalog doesn't mean the cabin is a place where anything goes. But sometimes we wish the unwritten compact of in-flight behavior was set down -- if only so we could throw the book at our favorite offenders. Are you one of them? We've come up with five regulations for our fellow passengers, and we'll try to abide by them as well.]]> egw 2009-03-04T14:31:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/25/12472/6423

There's no shortage of stories about people getting drunk and going nuts on flights these days, but a recent report sheds some light on what happens to these hooligans after they've been frog-marched off the plane by the police. It turns out that the lager lout who peed on the drink cart was actually a terrorist. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-01-25T12:47:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/17/105953/85

JetBlue Flight 359 from JFK to Burbank late Monday night had to land in Salt Lake City so the FBI could arrest what it says was a drunken and unruly passenger. Shalom Yarimo, though, told local TV station KSL that everyone onboard just misunderstood him--including when he was chatting with another passenger about the people he shot while in Lebanon.

In an phone interview from his jail cell, the alleged troublemaker said he wasn't even drunk on the flight:

It wasn't on an empty stomach. It was a full stomach and I know how to drink and I don't go over.

After making a few trips to the bathroom, he admits, the crew told him they were diverting to Salt Lake City. But while Yarimo says the crew is just vilifying him, FBI Special Agent Timothy Fuhrman, who's heading up the case, paints a different picture:

Some of his activities included running up and down the aisles, opening the overhead bins, shouting at the flight attendants, making a statement he had shot people in Lebanon.

Yarimo is slated to make his first appearance in federal court today on charges of interfering with a flight crew, and he'll likely also face questions about his immigration status. The FBI says the Israeli may be in the US illegally.

Related Stories:
· Man Arrested on JetBlue Flight Talks to KSL [KSL]
· Unruly Passenger Forces Plane to Land in SLC [Salt Lake Tribune]
· Bad Seatmates coverage [Jaunted]

[Video: KSL.com]]]> pbb 2008-12-17T11:02:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/5/152442/523

A 45-year-old woman flying from Puerto Rico to Chicago on United Saturday was duct taped to her seat by the crew after she allegedly slapped a flight attendant on the butt, threw a wet cloth across the cabin, poked and prodded her fellow seatmates and stumbled over another passenger before pulling her hair.

Eventually, the pilot decided to divert to Charlotte to toss Maria Esther Castillo from the flight. Once on the ground, she racked up a charge of resisting arrest to go with her count of interfering with a flight crew after, apparently, resisting arrest.

She's headed to a detention hearing in federal court tomorrow at 10 am, during which we'll hopefully learn more about what exactly was on that "wet cloth." We're so hoping it was just water.

Related Stories:
· Passenger Jailed in Flight Disturbance [Charlotte Observer]
· Bad Seatmates coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of what's probably behind all this: prettywar-stl]]]> pbb 2008-11-05T15:25:43-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/16/152257/14

Fashion heir Mathias Guerrand-Hermès got out of hand on a recent Air France flight, when law enforcement officials say he started harassing other passengers after gulping down some Propofan and "quite a bit of alcohol."

When the crew couldn't calm the polo-playing purse prince down, the captain intervened. But Guerrand-Hermès managed to menacingly grab the pilot's crotch before being handcuffed, shackled and tied to his seat.

Despite trying, he didn't manage to punch anyone. He's facing a charge of interfering with a flight crew, which could earn him as many as six months in prison if his rap sheet is clean.

Related Stories:
· Hermès Heir Is Charged with Assaulting a Jetliner Pilot [NYT]
· Feds Bag Hermès [TSG]
· Bad Seatmates coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-10-16T15:30:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/7/144054/088

Remember earlier this summer when horrified bus passengers in Canada watched as a guy allegedly stabbed and decapitated his 22-year-old seatmate? Well, a Manitoba court determined that the suspect in the case, Vince Weiguang Li, is mentally fit to stand trail.

While Li, who's been charged with second-degree murder, will see his case return to court on November 6, a defense attorney says there's more to it than just this psychiatric assessment:

I agree that he is fit to stand trial, but the issue is whether he is criminally responsible for his actions. My position would be in court that he's not criminally responsible for his actions and he did not know what he was doing was wrong.

It will be for a court to determine whether that's correct or not.

Related Stories:
· Canada Bus Beheading Suspect Can Stand Trial [AP, via Google]
· Staycation Travel: The Ultimate Bus Horror Story [Jaunted]

[Photo: Stephen Rees]]]> pbb 2008-10-07T15:05:40-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/