There’s something about catching a flight — the stress, the time crunch, the hurdles — that puts us all into main-character mode, sometimes at the expense of common courtesies. But no matter how much it feels like it’s us against the world when we fly, in reality, it’s a team effort.

“It’s not your aircraft, and there are other people, … and your needs are not necessarily any more important than theirs,” said William Hanson, an etiquette coach and the director of the English Manner. “That is part of the bargain whether you’re flying first, premium, business or economy.”

That bargain begins with boarding. If we can agree on best practices from the start, the whole travel process can go more smoothly, making flying — and life — better for everyone.

Here, according to travel and etiquette experts, are the unofficial rules to boarding a flight.

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