It's annoying as hell when you have your tray table down, trying to work or eat, and the person in front of you reclines, narrowing the already tiny gap between your knees and their seatback. To retaliate, you recline your own seat — it's your right, after all — and annoy the person behind you. It's a frustrating domino effect of travellers trying to reclaim their space. So who owns that space to begin with?

Sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you but go unnoticed. Take, as today's example, the little hook on aeroplane seats. During a recent flight, my seat neighbour took off her cardigan and hung it on the hook. My mind was blown and I felt silly for not realising this hook had a purpose.

Flatulence is common when you're flying. The BBC explains the science of why we fart more on aeroplanes and offers some tips on reducing this discomfort and avoid being that person passing gas on the plane.

Life gets pretty exhausting if you're always afraid of getting dirty. I try to remember this mantra when I fly because aeroplanes are so freaking filthy. Research from the University of Victoria suggests we're 100 times more likely to catch a cold from air travel than "normal daily ground level experience". Here's how to stay relatively sanitary (and sane) on planes.

Cheap air travel isn't as awesome as you think it is, namely because it makes air travel suck more overall. Believe it or not, though, air travel has improved in some ways, too.

Qantas has revealed the pricing for its first direct flight between Perth and London - and the tickets go on sale today. A non-stop return Economy flight to London will officially set you back $2270, although Qantas is promising prices below $2000 during promotional periods. Here are the details.

Everyone is horrified by how United Airlines has treated a paying passenger it decided to kick off a plane after he had boarded. One minor but chilling aspect of the horror? How United's own comments abuse what language actually means to try and justify its shitty behaviour.

Today, the world woke up to a very disturbing video of a United Airlines passenger being bloodied and dragged off an overbooked flight so that a United employee could fly in his place. The footage has caused outrage with numerous calls to boycott the airline. Many have pointed out that the man was a paying customer who posed no threat, so the airline had no right to forcibly remove him.

There's no question that what happened to this passenger was completely over the top. But on a technical level, it was also entirely legal to eject him. It turns out airlines can kick you off a flight for all sorts of reasons. Let's take a look at the facts.

There are good airlines and there are the many other airlines. This infographic from AirHelp sorts the best from the worst with an emphasis on timeliness and compensatory measures when things go wrong.

Brief news items of note for Lifehacker readers, including: United Airlines bans passengers wearing leggings, why women want to bang Garrus, how are Australian retailers preparing for Amazon's arrival?

While there's never truly a "good time" to use the toilet in a crowded, cramped metal tube hurling through the sky at 805km an hour, some times are more comfortable than others. Here's what a professional flyer recommends if you're worried about privacy and being considerate to other passengers.

When you pay for in-flight Wi-Fi, you typically have a few options. You can pay for a day pass, just pay for the duration of the flight, or pay for 30 minutes at a time. If you have a connecting flight with the same airline, a day pass on your first leg might be a cheaper option.

Frequent flyer points are a fantasy currency that fluctuates depending on how you use them. This makes it difficult to know what they're worth — or whether you're squandering their potential value. This infographic breaks down the dollar value of 1000 points when purchasing everything from flight upgrades to commercial goods.

When a storm hits, it can throw everyone's travel plans for a loop. If you have a flight that's likely to be delayed, get to the airport extra early, not just to beat the lines, but also to make sure you get dibs on a new flight.

Last week, we brought you the news about Qantas' fancy new premium economy seats. The redesigned for the 787 Dreamliner are 10 per cent wider than the existing premium economy cabin on its Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 superjumbo, and also boast a deeper recline. Here are more details.

Let's say you're planning an interstate holiday and you found an incredible deal on a flight. The only problem? It arrives at 8am and that's too early to check into most hotels. No need to nap at the gate, though - you have options.

Some airlines have their flight attendants ask you and your fellow passengers to raise your window shades during take-off and landing. This isn't about waking passengers up at the end of a red-eye or having all the shades up or down for the next flight, it's about safety.

Qantas announced its half-yearly earnings today, and it's doing quite well. What matters for you and I, though, is the fact that it's announced new premium economy seats for its 787 Dreamliner - the plane that'll be flying some of the longest routes in the world, including a nonstop Perth to London leg. Here are the details.

As you'll soon learn, some travel bag locks aren't that reliable. If people really wanted to get into your luggage, they'd be able to with something as simple as a ballpoint pen.