Being on a plane usually means being crammed in with a few hundred other people, often for hours at a time. Things can go south fast. Not everyone has the same sense of etiquette and decorum, and some passengers can be outright annoying. Those kinds of people have been highlighted on websites like this one for years and “What is something people do on an airplane that annoys the hell out of you?” was even a near-viral thread on Reddit back in early 2019.
Amar Hussain has been traveling the world for years. He launched his travel blog, OnlyWanderlust.com, in 2009. As the blog’s founder and Editor-in-Chief, he offers not only general informational articles about travel but important resources to travelers (i.e. how to pack a backpack, travel insurance, travel packing lists, and how to find cheap flights and accommodations, etc.).
Earlier this month, Hussain surveyed over 1,500 airline travelers to ask what annoyed them the most about other passengers when they were flying. These are the finding, along with some related info for some of them.
- The Kicker — Your seat being kicked.
- The Stinker — A passenger with a bad body odor. (Here’s something you can do about it!)
- The Loud & Proud — Other passengers talking loudly.
- The Leaner — Your seat being pulled or leaned on.
- The Drunk Flyer — Drunk or tipsy flyers.
- The Noisy Kid — Crying babies or children. (Fun Fact! These airlines offer Child Free Cabins, quiet zones, & more)
- The Recliner — The seat in front of you reclining. (Yeah, this is what happened to that one lady…)
- The Scented — A passenger wearing strong perfume or cologne.
- The Not-So-Masked — Passengers not wearing their masks properly. (at least that one isn’t an issue anymore)
- The Loud Sleeper — A passenger snoring.
- The Stinky Feet — A passenger removing socks or shoes.
- The Eager — Passengers standing and getting bags as soon as the plane lands.
- The BYO Meal — A passenger bringing on smelly food.
- The Weak Bladder — People getting out of their seats regularly.
- The Chatty Cathy — Your neighbor talking to you through the flight.
- The Armrest Hog — Your neighbor taking up all of the armrest. (this might help)
- The Too Relaxed — A passenger putting their feet up on or between your seat.
- The Clapper — Passengers applauding when the plane lands. (here’s why they say they do it)
- The Manspreader — Passengers spreading their legs, aka manspreading. (Here’s how I make them stop)
- The Night Owl— Bright phone or tablet screens on night flights.
Only Wanderlust also went into some of the demographics of the responses they got. You can read it all here.
Meanwhile, The Vacationer also did a survey, this one published in September 2022, to discover the most annoying behaviors from flyers’ fellow passengers. Here was their methodology:
This 2022 Airplane Etiquette Violations Survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of The Vacationer. In total, 1,098 Americans over the age of 18 were polled on August 6. Of those surveyed, 47.27% were male and 52.73% were female. The age breakdown of participants included in this survey was 22.50% in the range 18-29, 24.95% in the range 30-44, 32.60% in the range 45-60, and 19.95% over 60. This survey has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of ±3.018%. You can learn more about SurveyMonkey’s sampling method by clicking here.
The questions were chosen and the results were analyzed by the post author, Eric Jones, who is a Mathematics and Statistics Professor at Rowan College South Jersey.
Here are The Vacationer‘s findings to the question: “When flying on a plane, which behaviors from fellow passengers annoy you?”
1. Kicking the Back of Your Seat — 59.11%
2. Drunk and Disruptive — 59.11%
3. Smells from Poor Hygiene or Too Much Cologne/Perfume — 48.00%
4. Inattentive Parents / Poor Parenting — 46.81%
5. Eating Pungent or Foul-Smelling Foods — 39.80%
6. Hogs the Armrests — 39.07%
7. Reclines Seat Fully in Front of You — 38.25%
8. Talks to You Too Much — 29.87%
9. Boards or Deplanes Out of Turn — 29.60%
10. Listens to Music or Movies Too Loudly — 28.96%
11. Takes off Shoes — 23.59%
12. Flirting with You, Passengers, or Flight Attendants — 21.89%
13. Gets Up to Use Restroom or Stretch Too Much — 19.95%
14. Uses Overhead Bin Space Many Rows in Front of Seat — 18.12%
15. Overly Affectionate Couples — 14.12%
16. Requests Too Much from Flight Attendants — 13.02%
None of These — 11.57%
The differences
OnlyWanderlust didn’t reveal their methodology; they just said they “surveyed over 1500 airline passengers and asked what annoys them the most about other passengers when flying.” We don’t know if these 1500 people were given a list to choose from, or what the breakdown was of gender, age, etc. They also didn’t say what percent of respondents chose each of the annoyances.
We do know that The Vacationer’s study was done via SurveyMonkey, and the demographic breakdown was of their respondents. Since they were asked to “check all that apply”, we can safely assume they were only given those 16 choices. Concepts such as manspreading, having a too bright phone or tablet, and clapping when the plane lands weren’t even given consideration.
The similarities
Two different surveys, presumably two different methodologies, and yet some annoying behaviors from your fellow passengers seem to be universal. Among others, kicking the seat, body odor, being drunk and having noisy kids were all relatively high up in the rankings for both surveys.
Of course, unless you’re surrounded by people you know, the stranger you sit next to on a plane may be lovely, or at least tolerable. May the odds forever be in your favor!
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3 comments
You missed a big one — travelers who are walking in the airport, you’re behind them and THEY STOP RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PATHWAY, forcing you to quickly dart around them while not bumping into someone gong the same way and is trying to avoid the same person. So annoying!
Oh, I’m 6’5″ and 250 lb and have literally plowed right into people who have done this. Of course, I’ve made the effort to avoid decking them like a cheap shot that would get a linebacker suspended. But yes, the close call has at least been instructive for a couple of people who’ve pulled this clueless move right in front of me.
YES!!! And it’s, unfortunately, not limited to airports.