What are your top airplane passenger pet peeves? According to one study, rear seat kickers and disruptive drunks are America’s most annoying co-passengers.
The Vacationer came out with their study on airplane etiquette and what drives people crazy, especially on long flights. The survey, taken by 1,098 Americans, asked them to rank 16 in-flight behaviors that are often decried on social media.
The timing for the survey couldn’t have been better, as passenger behavior has never been worse.
During the pandemic, incidents involving unruly passengers skyrocketed with the number of FAA investigations in 2019 jumping from 146 to 183 in 2020, and then to a whopping 1099 in 2021.
As of September 20, the FAA has already launched 680 investigations in 2022.
Two incidents from 2021 resulted in the FAA handing down the administrator’s largest fines ever: $81,950 to a North Carolina-bound traveler accused of assaulting a flight attendant and trying to open a cabin door. In the second incident, a female passenger allegedly tried to hug and kiss the passenger next to her while flying from Las Vegas to Atlanta. She was also accused of walking to the front of the aircraft and trying to de-plane during the flight.
Top 10 annoying plane etiquette violations by passengers
- Kicking the back of your seat
- Drunk and disruptive
- Smells from poor hygiene
- Inattentive parents
- Eating foul-smelling food
- Hogs the armrest
- Reclines seat fully in front of you
- Talks to you too much
- Boards or deplanes out of turn
- Listens to music or movies too loudly
It’s always a good idea to think about others when on a flight. For example, making sure you bring headphones when listening to music, not bringing on smelly food, especially on long flights and not talking too loud when the cabin lights are off and people are trying to sleep.
To read the full study by the Vacationer head to their website.