What Is the Most Annoying Airplane Etiquette Violation?
Cheapflights recently ran a poll on airplane etiquette. Asking the question, "Which of the following airplane etiquette violators do you find most offensive?" the results aren't too surprising:
- Incessant talker
- Rapid recliner
- Armrest hog
I'm surprised the person who uses their cell phone right up until the very last second (and then powers up the instant the plane lands) didn't rank higher. Maybe that one struck a little too close to home for most of Cheapflights' users.
[Via Gridskipper]
Filed under: Airlines






















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Mar 1st 2007 @ 8:30AM
kevin said...
I am dusgusted by people who take their shows off on flights, put theri feet up on the bulkhead and recline more than 1-2 notches on all but an overseas or overnight flight.
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Mar 2nd 2007 @ 3:13AM
bernie said...
I linked to you from my post How to shut somebody the F Up
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Mar 2nd 2007 @ 6:57AM
bernie said...
Sorry left off the link: http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2007/03/how_to_shut_somebody.html
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 2:59PM
Bert said...
Let's not forget it is the AIRLINES who stuff us into the planes like cattle. THEY are the ones who created the microscopic seats w/no legroom. It's galling that they sit in the sidelines & smirk while the passengers fight amongst themselves. If passengers were to unite & redirect their energy at the SOURCE of the problem, the airlines would be forced to make changes.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 7:03PM
Nancie said...
I recently had the displeasure to sit behind a guy who must have thought he in his living room at home. The seat went back before we even left the ground. Then he threw his hands up over the chair (charming!). I also noticed when I walked by his seat when I was getting on the plane that he was using all three seats in his row........crumpled newspaper on one, books, etc. in another and finally him! What really took the cake though was during the flight when I had to pass by him to go to the washroom and here he was with his headphones on wiggling to the music! I was tempted to direct him to the nearest washroom!
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:05PM
Bev said...
People who carry on too much and then hog the aisles to deposit it or retrieve it while others would like to get off the plane.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:35PM
fred said...
the odors...the person with bad gas every 30 seconds or the radical religious person that eats their smelly carp sardine meal, or the guy thats been flying for 3 days without deodorant
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:35PM
Richard J. Byrne said...
He took his shows off? The animal.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:36PM
Kirstie said...
If you want more room on flights, less people, more amenities, you're gonna have to put your money where your mouth is. Everyone wants to pay the bottom dollar for airfare, and then whine, whine, whine about what they're not getting. That is why the low-cost carriers are so popular and the legacy carriers are in trouble. You get what you pay for!!!!!
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:37PM
Jean said...
I don't know if this complaint falls under the category of airplane etiquette, but I don't appreciate having to fly through storms, turbulence, etc. if the pilot and/or the airlines says "go" or they'll lose money. I think my life is worth more, at least to me, than the dollars it may cost them if they divert the plane to a safer airport for landing.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:37PM
Jane Black said...
Unruly children; passengers who consider small trunks to be 'carry-on' luggage,who most usually board last and have seats in the back, look for overhead space to stow their 'carry on' luggage and then become upset when it will not fit in the compartments.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:44PM
bluezwmn said...
Parents who allow children to incessantly kick the back of the seat in front of them shouldn't respond snottily when the person who is being kicked politely asks them to have their child refrain from kicking. Additionally, people who are so fat that they flow into my space should do the right thing and buy an extra ticket for that second seat....
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:49PM
Rosco said...
I can't stand the people who stand up as soon as the plane is even close to stopping after landing. Every one stands up and starts grabbing for their ridiculous carry-ons. Where do you think you are going ? You have to wait to exit just the same. Sit down !!!
And carry-ons should be outlawed , go to the darn baggage claim , it would make for a smoother entrance and exit from the plane. All I carry is a newspaper.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:55PM
Fumed said...
The two major problems with airlines today are:
Classes (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc), and
Allowing free (seat aailable)travel to employees and their families.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:59PM
Geegee Davis said...
There are lots of things I dislike about flying. I hate breathing the same virus laden air over and over again, knowing that I will get sick a few days after I get off the plane. I hate having no leg room. I hate the stinky wet bathrooms. I hate people that smell too. Most Europeans don't take daily baths ( probably not even weekly baths) and they smell like sweat and boo boo. They have no idea what antiperspirant is. I also hate the dry air on a plane that makes me feel as though I am dying of thirst. I am not trying to complain to anybody here. I was just answering the question about what people dislike about flying. ( Down with Hillary ! )
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 8:59PM
norma said...
We pay for first class because we are more comfortable in first class. I don'r like it when I am asked to put my small carry on in front of my feet on the floor. We only carry two small carry ons with the two of us. This does not make sense to me, so I can make room for all the other people can carry all of their luggage on and then put in the over heads.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 9:04PM
Dorothy said...
I recently flew to Florida from Ohio via Atlanta.
Coming back, I missed my flight because the airline
personnel DID NOT SPEAK CLEARLY. They rambled so
fast I had no clue as to what they said so I took
no action. On planes, flight attendants ramble
on the microphone and I don't understand a word
they say. If they said the plane was on fire,
I wouldn't know it. I think a ticker tape or
something visible should be required for ALL
ANNOUNCEMENTS - IN THE AIRPORT AND ON THE PLANE.
Until then, I'll probably miss more flights not
knowing when my zone number is called to board.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 9:06PM
Jettjock said...
I agree with the FAT comment, who are they kidding! The stewardess should have the right to remove them if there Ass is so big the flow EVERYWHERE!!! I'm sick of being stuck up against two tons of a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket when it's obvious to everyone that hefty bag needs two seats to accomadate his/her gruesome gerth. Please!!! I asked to be re-seated on American because of this issue and had to ride in 1st class because they would not remove the island sitting next to me. Broke my heart. I ONLY FLY AMERICAN, never have lost a bag or had trouble per se. Their direct web site is usually lower than expedia or travelocity. Not pluggin the plane, just telling the truth.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 9:11PM
kren said...
How about the people who tell you their life health history as soon as I mistakenly tell them I am a nurse. Never again! I hear about bunions, hernias, etc,etc...who the freakin cares. Also how about the inattentive parent who allows the baby to cry from lack of attention. Why bother traveling with a crying baby...stay home and annoy the neighbors. I am particularly sick of the lame excuses to pre-board. I actually saw a man with a finger in a splint board early one time. Give me a break.
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Mar 5th 2007 @ 9:11PM
JoannaSPatterson said...
The rudest person I had to deal with recently was a passenger in the seat in front of me who reclined her seat until she was practically lying in my lap, then reached back and turned off my reading light. I didn't say anything, just promptly turned my light back on. Also, on a recent flight, a group of four passengers flying together tried repeatedly to abuse the stewards and stewardesses, both verbally and with thinly veiled threats of physical harm. They suddenly shut up; perhaps there was an air marshall on board who quietly dealt with them?
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