Randy Rogers Band’s Plane Etiquette

Flying can be an intimate experience. You’re squished beside a stranger for hours at a time in a small metal tube that bumps and rocks. In order to make the experience more pleasant for all, we’ve asked seasoned flying pros, the Randy Rogers Band, to give us their plane etiquette don’ts.

1. Perfume:
“Sometimes the perfume isn’t bad unless it’s way over the top or something I don’t like, which is really a matter of opinion and taste,” frontman Randy Rogers admits. “Did I just offend all female passengers?”

2. Smelly Food
“Especially when you’re hungry,” Randy continues. “The person who sits down before the airplane even taxis to leave and they’re already halfway through their subway sandwich or Cinnabon. Ugh.”

3. Talk … Like … A Lot
“Sitting directly next to you and being chatty Kathy,” Randy adds. “Talking your ear off. Or ‘what do you do?’ And, of course, we have to answer correctly and say, ‘I’m a musician.’ And they go, ‘Oh, so do you know George Strait?’ And I go, ‘In fact, yes, I do know George Strait.’” [laughs]

4. Complain about their musical instruments
“It’s actually a law that you get to carry your musical instrument on the plane, without having to buy it a seat,” explains Geoffrey Hill. “As long as there is adequate room, you store it in the overhead bins.”

“It’s section 403 of the aviation code,” Brady Black interjects.

“And, Brady has it up on his phone, ready to fly, because he doesn’t trust American Airlines to let him fly with his fiddle,” Geoffrey adds. “He’s always got it ready. Oh, ‘You say I can’t bring my fiddle? Check it out right here, it’s the law.’”

For more from the Randy Rogers Band, check out their new album, Homemade Tamales Live at Floore’s, out now.