If you’re like most travellers, you’ve probably encountered airline passengers who don’t seem to get the unwritten rules of proper air travel etiquette.
You know the type: there’s the passenger who may have had just a bit too much to drink or that fidgety person seated behind you who can’t seem to stop kicking the back of your seat. These types of travellers, among others, are the worst airline passengers to share a flight with, according to a survey by travel company Expedia.com.
On Tuesday, Expedia released the results of an airline etiquette survey that asked over 1,000 American travellers what infuriates them the most about fellow airline passengers.
The survey found that 64 per cent said “rear seat kicker” was the most problematic behaviour followed by “inattentive parents” at 59 per cent. The survey defined “inattentive parents” as “parents who have no control over, or pay no attention to, their crying, whining or misbehaved children.”
Rounding out the top three on the list is the smelly passenger, or as the survey calls it “aromatic” passengers. Apparently 55 per cent of those surveyed feel that a fellow passenger with poor hygiene or those wearing too much perfume or cologne are the third least-liked traveller to fly with.
To recline or not to recline?
Well, according to the survey, 53 per cent of U.S. travellers recline their seats when flying compared to the 23 per cent who deemed seat reclining as “improper etiquette,” while another 11 per cent said reclining their seat is uncomfortable.
Another 25 per cent of those surveyed revealed that they would recline their seat to get back at the passenger seated behind them if they “showed aggressive behaviour or was rude.” Of those who said they would recline their seat, 11 per cent admitted to doing so even if the passenger behind them was “noticeably pregnant.”
Misbehaving on a flight? That’s a tweeting!
According to the Expedia survey, 62 per cent of the respondents said they would rather alert a flight attendant to address a “misbehaving” passenger than deal with them directly, while 33 per cent would suffer in silence and one and 10 would confront the passenger directly. Another 13 per cent would record the passenger’s behaviour on their mobile phone. Three per cent admitted they would “shame a fellow passenger’s behaviour via social channels” and another two per cent would “tweet about it.”
Here’s the list of the top 14 “onboard etiquette violators,” according to Expedia.
The Rear Seat Kicker
Inattentive Parents
The Aromatic Passenger
The Audio Insensitive
The Boozer
Chatty Cathy
The Queue Jumper
Seat-Back Guy
The Armrest Hog
Pungent Foodies
The Undresser
The Amorous
The Mad Bladder
The Single and Ready to Mingle
*According to Expedia, for totals exceeding 100 per cent, respondents were given an option of choosing more than one answer.