The Most Frustrating In-Flight Behaviour - The Seat Kicker
Expedia.com® is not just one of the largest travel sites, it occasionally does some interesting research as well. One of the more interesting things that Expedia does is the Expedia 2015 Airplane Etiquette Study. The survey was conducted with randomly selected U.S. adult residents. There were 1,019 interviews taken between August 7th to the 9th, 2015.
This study lists the most annoying airline passengers that you and I have to deal with as well as how people prefer to fly. Does the list match up with your own airline frustrations? You are about to find out.
The Worst Offender – Airline Kickers
When it comes to the most aggravating co-passengers, the 'rear seat kicker' is the worst. When it came to ranking the top in-flight concern, 61 percent of the people surveyed noted this as their top frustration. I cannot blame them either, who really likes being kicked from behind constantly? Moreover, saying something about the whole situation just feels awkward as well.
The ‘inattentive parent’ took the second place in frustrations. You probably know the type, the type of parent who believes that a child should be allowed to use the plane as their personal playground. These parents ranked a close second at 59 percent.
The third place (coming in at 50 percent) was the 'aromatic passenger', the type of passenger who gives off a rather strong scent, oftentimes attributed to poor hygiene. I can tell you that flying from St. Louis to Chicago takes a long time if you have a foul-smelling person next to you, now just imagine a transatlantic flight.
Also coming in at 50 percent was the 'audio insensitive' passenger. These are the passengers whose entertainment can clearly be "enjoyed" by neighbouring passengers or it refers to those people who talk loudly with others.
Quiet Is Better
The study also revealed that most people who fly prefer to keep to themselves while flying. While 75 percent of the Americans surveyed admitted that some small talk was OK, most prefer to keep to themselves for the entire duration of the flight. Only 16 percent of those surveyed suggested that they would regularly use flying as a way to meet new people. Interestingly enough, 37 percent of the people surveyed admitted that if the option were available to have a designated "quiet zone" while flying, they would be willing to pay extra for it.
To Recline Or Not To Recline
Do you recline your seat? This is one of the largest arguing points for travellers it seems. In fact, almost 32 percent of those surveyed would prefer if the reclining seats were banned outright. Only 31 percent of those surveyed refuse to recline their own seats though.
Amongst those who are not afraid to lean back, 30 percent do it when they want to sleep, 28 percent do it when the flight is longer than three hours, and 13 percent cannot wait to do so right after take-off. Another 13 percent admits to doing it domino style - meaning the person in front of them reclined their seat first. The reclining of a seat can also be used as punishment it appears. Amongst those surveyed, 26 percent would recline their seat as punishment if the person behind them were rude or aggressive.
A Positive Overview
Even though there are plenty of “violations” mentioned during the survey, more than three-quarters of those surveyed feel that their fellow passengers are mostly considerate. More than 50 percent feel that air travel is both exciting and fun. While it might have focused on some of the major frustrations that most of us can agree on, air travel remains fun for most people.
