haven't read through the whole thread, so please forgive any obsolete remarks or repetitions.
When I trained (as an FA) we were tipped off that the passengers with their heads most deeply buried in the newspaper were likely to be the nervous ones...
All passengers think they are SPECIAL and INVULNERABLE. That's why it's more important to them to appear Cool than to up their survival chances. See also: leaping to their feet as soon as rubber hits runway..
Thanks 10W for pointing out that, if nothing else, courtesy comes in here. To my mind, if someone is standing 2 ft in front of you doing something you have been asked to take a few minutes to watch, it is only polite to put down the paper/book/girlfriend etc
On most flights, there is a substantial minority of people who make a point of smirking at us ("ooh look, he's going to do that silly "Exits" gesture again..") or even openly s******ing.
Yes, folks. You are COOL and we are IMPRESSED.
