Lufthansa rebrands inflight etiquette with playful clothing collection
Lufthansa's collection of caps, sweaters and bags playfully answers the questions of inflight etiquette (Image credit: Murat Aslan)
Lufthansa has playfully immortalized the unwritten rules of inflight etiquette on a collection of caps, bags and sweaters. In an effort to know more about what consitutues good manners onboard, the airline asked etiquette expert and "behavior influencer" Clemens Graf von Hoyos–who has 400,000 followers on TikTok–how air travel can be made more pleasant for everyone.
Politeness you can wear: The secret uniform of inflight etiquette experts
The unwritten laws of flying are now printed on sweaters, T-shirts and caps. (Image credit: Murat Aslan)
"There is that one moment at the gate when a person's true character shows itself. The first boarding call sounds (group one, mind you), and suddenly half the waiting area rises as if to a starting gun only they could hear. Suitcases are readied, boarding passes drawn, elbows discreetly deployed. You might think the plane were about to leave without the ones pushing to the front. It will not. It waits. For everyone," Lufthansa said.
For exactly these small, all-too-human points of friction above the clouds, Lufthansa has found an answer that is playful — not in the form of a strict rulebook, but as something to wear. The unwritten laws of flying are now printed on sweaters, T-shirts and caps.
The seat with the best deal
Middle Seat gets the Armrest gets straight to the point and ends the debate before it even begins (Image credit: Murat Aslan)
Calling it the "great question of fairness in civil aviation," Lufthansa points to the quiet battle waged in every row of three: the armrest. Middle Seat gets the Armrest gets straight to the point and ends the debate before it even begins.
The logic? The person at the window gets to lean back and dream out the porthole. The person on the aisle stretches their legs and reaches the drinks cart first. And whoever sits in the middle gets both armrests in return. Anyone wearing this wisdom on their sleeve may not even need to say it out loud. A glance down is enough, and the matter is settled.
Responsibility, a few inches back
Reclining responsibly doesn't mean not reclining at all. It just means knowing, for a moment, who's sitting behind you (Image credit: Murat Aslan)
For Lufthansa, Recline Responsibly is perhaps the most diplomatic message in the whole collection.
"Of course you're allowed to recline your seat (that's what the button is for, after all). The only question is whether those few inches of tilt on a 30-minute flight are worth half a cup of coffee for the row behind," the airline said.
The solution is simple, and it costs nothing: a quick glance back, a friendly "Is this okay for you?" and a potential conflict turns into a small gesture of consideration. Reclining responsibly does not mean not reclining at all. It just means knowing, for a moment, who is sitting behind you.
Row by row to the exit
Live, Love, Exit by Row is Lufthansa's affectionate reminder that getting off works remarkably well when it happens one row at a time (Image credit: Murat Aslan)
The end of every flight is the same the world over: the moment the aircraft stops, the whole cabin springs up as one and then stands there, motionless, because naturally nothing is moving. Live, Love, Exit by Row is Lufthansa's affectionate reminder that getting off works remarkably well when it happens one row at a time.
"It is one of those truths everyone knows and yet no one ever follows. And yet leaving the aircraft goes noticeably faster when you let the row in front of you go first, rather than jumping into starting position too soon," the airline said in its press release.
Von Hoyos said, "The supreme discipline of politeness is looking past the misbehavior of others."
Sometimes, though, a well-placed line on a cap does the trick too.
Applause when the wheels touch down
It's okay to Clap when the Plane Lands celebrates everyone who applauds on the spur of the moment (Image credit: Murat Aslan)
In answer to the question, "does everyone still clap when the aircraft lands?" Lufthansa has released a shirt that says: It's okay to Clap when the Plane Lands. celebrating everyone who applauds on the spur of the moment. And for everyone else, the airline says, the same holds true: It's okay not to Clap when the Plane Lands. Both are perfectly fine.
"You hear the applause less often than you used to, perhaps because flying has become so ordinary for many. Whoever wants to clap should feel free, ideally in rhythm and with plenty of feeling, as a spontaneous thank-you to a crew that has just finished a long shift and brought the aircraft safely back to earth. And whoever prefers to smile quietly says thank you in their own way just as well. No obligation, no faux pas, simply a question of personal style," Lufthansa said.
Politeness you can see
In the end, it is exactly these small things that make a journey above the clouds more pleasant for everyone who happens to be sharing the cabin.
Von Hoyos named the adversaries of good company with merciless precision.
"The three mortal enemies of good manners while traveling are comfort-seeking, a lack of empathy and stress," he said.
While there may be no cure for a lack of empathy, the airline said, the rest can be practiced and now, worn as well.
"Because good manners are no science. They are simply a smile that happens to take place at 30,000 feet. And if it looks good while doing so: all the better," Lufthansa concluded.
