Article posted Wednesday, November 20, 2013 11:55am

Dear Mary Pat,

It’s the holiday travel season and I almost forgot how much I do not enjoy airport waiting areas. I try to read, I try to focus on the news on television, but there is always someone on a cell phone. Always! When I was waiting in the Green Bay airport last week, a gentleman was carrying on about how his cat had pooped on his ‘Welcome’ mat.

So when I was waiting to return home in the Atlanta airport, I called my sister to talk about my trip. It passed the time, but I felt guilty because I know how distracting someone talking a phone is.

What’s the right thing to do? Tell that guy to please keep it down and keep my phone tucked away or join him and blab away as well?

Signed,

Blah Blah Blah

Sister Bay, WI

Dear Blah, Blah, Blah,

Personal cell phone conversations in a public area are hard to avoid. As such, it is better to focus on two things when having a ‘private’ conversation in a public area:

1) Be very aware of what you are saying. No one wants to hear about your crazy time out the night before, how many calories you are limiting yourself to for your “pre-holiday” diet, or in the other instance, a cat leaving a special welcome surprise.

(Chances are good the person on the other end of that phone call didn’t care to know that either.) What people may want to hear is personal information such as banking info and passwords. Make sure that you aren’t divulging personal credit details…or classified business information for that matter.

2) If you must talk on your phone, be very aware of how loudly/softly you are speaking. If you are having a quiet conversation, then no one should be bothered by your phone call. If people in the next terminal, grocery store aisle, or state can hear you, please lower your voice.

People always have the option of wearing headphones and/or listening to music. Airports aren’t exactly mistaken for a quiet spa setting. Lots of us will be traveling for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so this is a good reminder to be aware of those around you and how your behavior may be affecting them. Awareness is half the battle in having good manners.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good luck,

Mary Pat