Flying around the world on a gap year is one of the best experiences in the world, but sometimes that experience is spoiled by other passengers doing a whole host of things that just get peoples backs up. Here are the top 10 most annoying things about flying.
Flying is amazing, I love it. I have to just point that out right from the start because I don’t want to give the wrong impression here. The excitement and anticipation of the impending trip, the thrill of acceleration at take off, even the sometimes insanely long periods of time spent in transit or on a layover in a dull airport is bearable, because I know deep down that I am about to embark on another backpacking adventure. I am about to embark on a trip that helps to fulfill my innate desire to travel, discover a new place I have never seen before or even delve deeper into a favourite destination I have visited many times, and I absolutely love that with a passion! I live for it! And flying is the means with which I get to fulfill that desire.
I really do love it!
But no matter how much I love travel, how much I love flying, there are some things that make all those long haul flights an intolerable endurance test, all those little things that no matter how hard I try still manage to get on my nerves. Some things that despite my love of travel are almost certain to threaten my carefully cultivated British sense of decorum and send my blood pressure rising to the extent that a disapproving sigh or a loud tutting simply won’t do.
And I am not alone.
Numerous studies, passenger rights groups statistics and surveys have been released over the years that show airline passengers are becoming increasingly fed up with the experience of flying and the service they are getting from airlines. Passengers are now so fed up they are starting to petition for quiet zones to just get a bit of peace and quiet, petitions to ban reclining seats have been gaining strength for years and people are just getting more and more intolerant of other passengers.
And the growing and increasingly belligerent numbers of dissatisfied passengers suggest that maybe it is about time that airlines started to listen.
So in honour of that, and perhaps in a misguided attempt at belated therapy from years of flying and being inconvenienced by selfish passenger attitudes and uncaring airlines, here are my top 10 things guaranteed to make any long haul flight an arduous ordeal for any passenger and send frustration levels of even the most patient saint to the tipping point.
Aisle Blockers.
We all know the drill. The plane lands, takes forever to taxi to wherever it needs to be, the deified beings in first class are practically carried off the plane on cushioned pillows made from kittens, silk and fairy dust, and then the mad free for all scramble to disembark in peasant class begins.
Except it doesn’t, because half the genius’ on the plane have decided to stand up before it has even stopped taxiing and are stood in the aisle for no reason whatsoever, blocking everyone else from moving and preventing anyone from disembarking in a timely manner. What do they expect to happen? That suddenly they will be magically transported off the plane because they are stood up? What is even worse are those who stand up for the entire time it takes for the line to finally start shuffling forward, and only then do they decide to collect their carry on from the overhead compartments and hold people up even more!
It isn’t rocket science, we all knew when the plane was landing, so get your shoes back on, get yourself ready, wait until the rows in front of you have emptied, get your bags (and don’t block the aisles with them), then sit back down and wait until it is your rows turn to disembark. Everyone would get off much, much sooner!
Airline Food.
Almost everyone agrees on this one. Regardless of what celebrity chef endorses it, how many stars or awards they stick onto their menu declarations or whatever fancy embellishments they use on their advertisements, airline food is almost always universally bad. It is edible enough of course, in the same way a certain fast food burger chains meals are technically edible, but they are generally more akin to gassy poison than anything else and will generally guarantee to leave your stomach in a really foul mood with you and desperate to get some decent, healthy fare into it. I’m always desperate to hit the street stalls or hawker centres for some fresh, healthy and tasty food when I land! It’s a damn good job that food is one of the best things about visiting new countries and new destinations, as it makes putting up with the cheap and nasty food on your plane journey there bearable, just.
The Sick Passenger.
I know you can’t help getting sick, and ordinarily I would have every sympathy for you. After all it is not really your fault that you have come down with a bad cold, a case of the flu or chronic projectile vomiting just a few hours before you are due to take that long 12 hour flight! But that doesn’t mean I want your bodily fluids all over me either!
Let me make it clear though it isn’t as much the fact that you are sick, that in and of itself doesn’t bother me (I have sat next to many sick passengers who were very nice and have helped them where I could, I have even attended to medical emergencies on board). In general it is the fact that the majority of people are filthy animals and completely inconsiderate, will cover every surface in their bodily fluids as they cough and sneeze indiscriminately and rarely wash their germ ridden hands. Given the turnaround cleaning protocol on all aircraft is pretty much non existent, this is exactly why I take an alcohol wipe and disinfect all the surfaces in my immediate area, the tray, the armrests, the screen and basically anything I will touch frequently as soon as I sit down. I’m a nurse, I understand that the surgical grade HEPA filters on aircraft make airborne and aerosol virus’ an extremely negligible risk (unless of course some animal sneezes directly onto your face), I understand getting sick in general from a flight is an extremely low risk, and again, as a nurse I am not worried in the slightest about becoming ill myself from sick passengers because I take responsibility for my own health protection, but just having to deal with people’s general lack of hygiene is an annoyance! Just wash your hands and keep your fluids to yourself people!
Bad Hygiene.
Slightly related to the last point, in a small, confined space, filled to capacity with enough bodies to make a battery hen think they don’t actually have it all that bad, is there anything worse than getting someone sitting next to you that absolutely reeks? Well yes there is, but this is pretty bad.
Most of us who travel frequently have had the unfortunate circumstance of being stuck on a long haul flight next to someone who smells like they haven’t had a shower in three days, reek of stale cigarette smoke, halitosis that could curdle even the industrial strength airline food, or has somehow managed to smuggle a foul smelling homemade pilchard sandwich onto the plane!
Have a wash, buy some breath mints, stop smoking and leave the sandwich at home! Strong smells are not acceptable in such close quarters people!
And by the same extent that goes for those people who take a shower in aftershave or perfume at the duty free before embarking! Pack it in!
Boredom.
Okay, this isn’t really a bad one, but it is common enough that it does get a spot. There is a certain time period on long haul flights in particular where nothing can satiate your intense need for mental and physical stimulation. The in flight films can’t keep your attention for more than 15 minutes, your book doesn’t interest you any more, you suddenly develop an intense apathy for anything your travel partner has to say, sleep is but a distant memory and all you want to happen is for the flight to be over. Now. But that stupid plane icon on the screen hasn’t moved an inch toward your destination in the last twenty minutes, you are sure of it! You’re bored, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
This isn’t anyone’s fault of course, most major airlines are now really good at providing in flight entertainment, and you still have a responsibility to entertain yourself by bringing a book or whatever to amuse you, but it is still something that happens. It is just an unfortunate inevitability no matter what you do, how much you think you have prepared or how many really good films they put on that tiny little screen. In such a cramped, claustrophobic environment feelings that you would normally shrug off such as boredom and frustration are amplified ten fold without a release.The only thing you can do at times like this is close your eyes and think of the destination you are heading to. The beaches, the blue skies and fresh air, the people, the food, all will be in your grasp in exactly 7 hours, 52 minutes and 34 seconds, 33, 32, 31 …
How The Hell Is That Considered Carry On?
A general theme amongst the things that stress passengers out is space, or lack of it, and the luggage compartment is no exception to this. Space is at an extreme premium on flights now, and anything that impinges on that can have us fuming and seething into our ridiculously minuscule plastic cups of orange juice.
One thing that really grates on me is those people who bring far too much carry on luggage on board with them, or those who bring a bag or case of such ridiculous proportions that it makes you think that someone somewhere is having a laugh at your expense.
The rules are simple and very clear. On most airlines you are generally allowed one small bag each plus perhaps a handbag or laptop case, that’s it, and given the unreasonably small amount of space each passenger is allocated that seems more than fair. Those are the rules and that doesn’t mean you can discard them and bring on entire suitcases the size of an average Saint Bernard dog or 23 massive bags full of duty free plus the kitchen sink, yet people still do. On every flight there are always passengers who bring on multiple excessively sized bags and take up far more than their fair share of overhead storage compartment space, selfishly allowing no room for anyone else to stow their belongings.
In one respect you can blame the airlines for this, and I frequently do, first of all for not enforcing their own rules and allowing it to happen, but also for forcing the situation on people in the first place by slapping huge charges on stowed baggage.
The rules are there for a reason and the airlines are the ones that put them in place after all, so why can’t they enforce them? Why did they even allow these people to board with luggage that is very clear to anyone is far beyond the dimensions of normal carry on.
But overall it is the selfish nature of some flyers that causes this issue. Those flyers who automatically deem their luggage more important than anyone else, those flyers who think it is their intrinsic right to take up as much space in the overhead lockers as they damn well please. Well the world doesn’t work like that, and neither do airlines.
Airlines have carry on restrictions and rules for a reason. People need to start following them and the airlines themselves need to start enforcing them.
The Luggage Crammers.
Closely related to the fliers that bring far too much carry on luggage on board are the peculiar breed of fool who insists that no matter how full the overheads are, or how many other passengers bags are inside them, their own excessively sized, hard suitcase can still fit inside perfectly well if only they shove, hit, ram and force their case as hard as they possibly can into them, regardless of other peoples possessions inside.
There are few things on a flight that are as likely to induce in me a propensity toward air rage fueled anger (some of the others are nearer the front of the list) than this.
I normally travel fairly light, and my carry on consists of a small, soft day pack which is a little bit smaller than small standard sized carry on hard cases, just big enough to carry my electronics and essentials, and maybe a small souvenir or two. When travelling carry on only which is frequent, my entire pack for travelling for weeks or months on end is still smaller than most peoples carry on! It certainly doesn’t come anywhere near the airlines maximum allowable carry on and can easily slide into those little frames at check in with room to spare.
So given this fact, I like to think I am playing my part fairly when it comes to not excessively filling the overhead bins, and the last thing I need when sitting down to start my flight is some moron smashing my camera, the little ceramic statue I’m bringing back as a souvenir gift for my mum or whatever else I happen to have in my pack to tiny little pieces because they think whacking other people’s property with a hard case they obviously should have checked in is acceptable.
Wide Load.
There is a moment in long haul travel that is an equal measure of rapture and dread. It is the moment where you find your seat on the plane, put your pack in the overhead locker, sit down and discover that the seat next to you is empty. For a split second it feels like you have won the lottery and gained a tiny little bit of extra space off the airline that normally crams you in like a sardine! Then you start eyeing all the other passengers getting on suspiciously and mentally willing them all away from your seat, desperate to cling on to the hope that for once you may get a little bit of extra space on this flight. Until that is your hopes are dashed and someone stops at your aisle and moves to sit down next to you.
It is then your worst nightmare is confirmed. Is the person who you will be sitting next to for the better part of the next day or night that beautiful petite blonde who smiled at you at check in? Is it the little old dear who will probably doze off five minutes into the flight? Maybe the nice, slim gentleman who will say a polite hello then return to his book?
Of course not, it’s the wide load you saw stocking up on snacks and burgers at the airport lounge to keep him going in between in flight meals!
Obese passengers have been a source of controversy in the media and amongst travellers for a while now, with emotions and opinions running strong on either side of the debate. Regardless of your opinion on whether airlines should make obese people pay for two seats or not, the simple fact is you cannot fit a square peg into a round hole, or a fat man into a child size seat, and the airlines are increasingly shrinking the size of the spaces they expect people to squeeze into. At the other end of the spectrum there are an ever increasing number of severely and morbidly obese passengers expecting to fly. This is just not workable.
I know people come in all different shapes and sizes, and someone can still be large and fill up an airline seat with a very healthy level of body fat, but this isn’t as if we are talking about the naturally broad shouldered 6”5 guy who technically may be the same width as an obese person but has no physical control over his height and build, this annoyance is reserved for those genuinely obese people who have full and complete control over their eating habits.
There is physically only so much room for people in one seat, so if you get someone who is obese sitting next to you on your flight it can be horribly uncomfortable for all concerned. The worst offenders are the ones who physically cannot fit into the seats, spill over into your seat space and demand that the armrest be lifted up! Erm, no, that tiny little armrest is the one thing stopping your stomach from enveloping my arm. This does still happen despite most airlines having a policy on it, they will always care more about filling that seat and taking profit than anyone’s comfort.
But at some point there just has to be some consideration for all passengers, and if one passenger is severely impacting on the comfort or space of another, then I would seriously question why that situation is being allowed to happen in the first place. There has already been documented cases of people being forced out of their own seats during the flight because of obese people taking up far too much of them. Not only do these obese people take up their seat, they take up half of yours too! Even worse in some cases where the individual involved is severely or morbidly obese it can feel as if they are sitting on you and you can feel their sweat soaking into you! Nice. And not exactly hygenic either. Your already limited space is being forcibly encroached on, and that is not good when you are already squashed in like battery hens.
The official airline responses to those people who have paid for a seat but have had their comfort and in some cases safety severely impacted is basically ‘tough’. So it is hardly surprising that this is an issue that continues to cause a lot of resentment. There is an almost visceral, instinctive negative reaction to the enforced invasion of your private space, and until airlines either increase the space in between seats or have more consideration for the poor souls who have to put up with having their space encroached on, then this issue will continue to cause a lot of anger, resentment and frustration on flights.
Other People’s Kids.
Children are an absolute constant source of blood vessel bursting frustration on flights, from the screaming baby who just will not shut up for an entire long haul flight, to the uncontrollable brats treating the plane as a private playground or throwing a huge tantrum and repeatedly kicking the back of your seat. To be fair some kids are great and well behaved, I once sat on an eight hour flight next to a child who spent her time colouring in on her lap and watching cartoons in silence, she even said sorry when she dropped a crayon into the space between me and her (the apology wasn’t necessary, but the manners were nice to see). Unfortunately not all are like this. One single child can be enough to raise the entire collective blood pressure of the whole plane.
People are already tetchy on long haul flights, they are tired, uncomfortable and frustrated, and their stress levels are already at breaking point, so their tolerance for something as divisively annoying as other people’s kids is so far below normal standards it may as well be considered non existent. I’ve even heard one passenger ask the passing flight attendant – in all seriousness – would there be any chance she could stick the baby that had been shrieking for 6 hours straight on a long haul flight in the cargo hold with the rest of the luggage! (And no, it wasn’t me but I did pay attention in the hope the crew said yes!) She obviously explained that was not possible, but the glance she and I shared as she passed me in the row behind showed that we both sympathised with the man’s predicament and wished we actually could.
In all fairness, I can’t blame a baby for crying, we all know of the physical effects of cabin pressure and ear pain, and let’s face it babies have no other way of communicating other than crying (not ones that don’t involve bodily fluids anyway). To a large extent I can’t even blame children for getting bored and acting up, no matter how much I feel like giving them a dictionary and telling them to look up the word discipline.
What I can blame though is the selfish parents who drag their little darlings onto long haul flights in the first place (at least those that have the option of breaking up the flight into shorter sections, some flights obviously don’t have this) and especially those then refuse to do anything at all when precious little junior decides to make his presence known to everyone in the cabin! Those parents that at least try to do something about the situation at least get the benefit of the doubt and maybe even a little sympathy from other passengers, but those that do nothing should be ejected from the plane along with their little brats. At 30,000 feet.
If you are a parent, then the responsibility falls on you to ensure that your children don’t adversely affect me or anyone else on the flight. I don’t care if you have gotten so used to it you can sit there and ignore it, I haven’t, so sort it out.
Whether that involves taking a series of short haul flights with layovers instead of one long flight to make the journey more comfortable not only for other passengers but you and your baby or toddler too, preparation in the form of snacks and entertainment to keep older children occupied or simply disciplining the damn stroppy brat who insists on disturbing everyone else around him with his little antics (and no, he isn’t just being a kid, he’s being annoying so control him). Either way it is your responsibility as a parent to deal with it and minimise the disruption to everyone else.
The Dreaded Recliners!
This is my all time, ultimate frustration on any flight, and one that continues to polarise all passengers today. Recliners. Not just the seats themselves and the function they provide, but the selfish fools who think it is their right to lean back into my space as much as they can the second they sit down in it.
Space on any flight is getting increasingly small as airlines continue to make smaller seats, shrink the seat pitch and add extra rows to maximise the amounts of passengers they can squeeze in to maximise profits. The pitch (or the space between seats) has shrunk on most airlines by a good few inches over the last decade alone, and what was once considered ‘normal’ (read still reduced) spacing between seats just a few years ago is now being sold as ‘premium’ extra leg room seating. This has happened to the extent that modern seating in economy class does not reflect the average build of most people today.
I am 6”2 tall and I can only just squeeze into the space allocated to me by most airlines, but my knees are usually pressing into the back of the seat in front of me as it is, and this is when sitting fully upright. This is not my fault – unlike obesity – no one can help or have any control over how tall they are, this is the fault of the airlines who have minimised the seat space. When someone reclines they don’t just reduce my personal space, they actually press down on or in some places really push into my knees.
So those selfish, inconsiderate fools who recline as soon as they can really wind me up.
There is the issue of personal space, and absolute lack of it when some idiot reclines right into your face and pins you to your seat. I want to watch the in flight film on a flight, not your dandruff riddled head. The usual arguments that the seat has that function and it is your right to use it or that it is your space to use are absolute nonsense. The space directly in front of my face and body is mine, not yours, and the seat also has a TV screen and a tray which you are preventing me from using by your selfish actions. So really it is not your right at all. It is a principle built into our entire legal and justice system that the rights of the individual cannot impinge or compromise the rights or safety of others or cause them harm, and that is exactly what reclining seats are doing.
The most important issue for me however is the fact that actual physical pain and injury are often a result of the selfish passengers who recline. I have lost count of the amount of times someone has just slammed their seat back suddenly, causing me intense pain as the seat literally crushes my knees that were until that point pressed up against the back of it. How would they like it if I walked up to them in the street and broke a wooden chair over their knees? It is the exact same feeling! I of course would be arrested for assault, so what does that say about what recliners are doing to me? Then there is the constant pressure of having my knees and legs crushed into a tiny space that is not only uncomfortable and painful, but also a health risk.
Since airlines refuse to have any common sense policy on the matter (such as having a non reclining section at the front and a reclining section at the back, allowing reclining only between certain hours at night for sleep on long hauls or even banning reclining seats entirely), and they will never make more space available in economy class because that would involve taking out a couple of rows of seats which they can make revenue from, then the onus is on passengers to have a bit of consideration for their fellow travellers and not recline.
Did you enjoy this article? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below or on my Facebook or Twitter pages and please feel free to share it with any or all of the social media buttons. If you want to get more great backpacking tips, advice and inspiration, please subscribe to updates via email in the box to your right.
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Michael Huxley is a published author, professional adventurer and founder of the travel website, Bemused Backpacker. He has spent the last twenty years travelling to over 100 countries on almost every continent, slowly building Bemused Backpacker into a successful business after leaving a former career in emergency nursing and travel medicine, and continues to travel the world on numerous adventures every year.
Bemused Backpacker 
Haha, love this! I know it is in jest but I have just got off a long flight and these are all so true!
So funny! This is a fantastic website!
Thank you both for the kind comments! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it!
Yeah, I completely agree with all the points. The recliners are really annoying! One more thing I find annoying is lukewarm coffee. I mean come on you can serve some hot beverages – this is not asking for too much. And I hate people who don’t switch off their mobiles even after the instructions!
That’s why I always get cold drinks! I always ask for two though since they are so small, and to be fair the stewardesses are always nice about it. Thanks so much for the comment.
These are great and sad at same time that we are subjected to all of these when flying. I’m not as tall as you but my knees are crammed and the recliners are the worst! I get an aisle seat and sit sideways until the FA decides to knock the cart into me. The luggage is also a pet peeve – children dragging full sized bags or those who can’t lift their bag overhead!
My worst experience was my seatmate from Dallas to LAX who was chewing tobacco and spitting in a cup the flight!
Eww that is disgusting! It almost constitutes a category on its own!
You really can’t win with airlines, it is like they have completely given up on customer service and satisfaction. When you combine that with many peoples inherent selfishness and cramped prolonged conditions, I don’t see air travel improving any time soon.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting Sharon.
Oh boy, I have some good and bad stories on planes, some I probably should never ever share they are so horrifying!!! (Sitting next to someone who just had surgery on their private areas…)
I had an 11 hour flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt as well as the same time return. I flew with Lufthansa and was served some food that actually looked and tasted like food! I actually really enjoyed it, perhaps I was really starved? The thing that erks me is when they are serving out the food and I am in a seat far at the end of the plane, I have asked for vegetarian food or only chicken when booking, and by the time they get to me all that they have left for meals is red meat. It’s the biggest joke and happens every time! (On Lufthansa though the lady actually ran around the plane and found me a vegetarian meal!)
The over-sized luggage in the compartment spaces makes absolutely no sense to me!! When did people start bring full sized luggage as a carry on and how can that seriously be allowed? I bring my camera bag that has a compartment to hold all my necessities, it fits by my feet still with tons of leg room!
One last thing, I am a very tiny female, 5’4, yet when I am sitting in my seat and moving around to get comfortable it always seems to be when someone puts their recliner back. I have seriously been hit in the face multiple times by peoples recliners, how can they go back that far?! I couldn’t even imagine being in your situation, 6’2!!!
Okay, I’m done. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. 😛
Haha you’re welcome, this post is turning into something like therapy for bedraggled travellers!
Oh god, who would seriously fly straight after surgery down there though?!
I think the oversized luggage thing is happening more and more now that airlines are slapping ridiculous charges on checked luggage, but that still doesn’t excuse it! Bring less crap people! What is wrong with you, you don’t NEED all that stuff!
And I totally sympathise with your reclining woes, I would trade a few face punches for the relative comfort of being 5″4 though! ;D They really shouldn’t be allowed to recline at all now since they have halved the space between the seats!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment Dawn, I appreciate it. 🙂
The recliners are the WORST. It’s so awful, especially since the only way I can get any sleep on the plane is by trying to rest my head on the tray table. It’s pretty uncomfortable when I’ve got my head on there, and then the jerk in front of me jams his seat bag, digging the little nob into the top of my head. Worst worst worst.
Also when people have luggage and store it in the overhead compartment instead of under their seat. If you have two bags – totally fine to put one overhead and one underneath, but using up the precious overhead space because you don’t want anything at your feet? Screw you.
Now I’m all fired up haha.
Haha get it all off your chest, it will make you feel better! Either that or we’ll all get too fired up and storm the nearest airport! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
Ha. I am the biggest offender of the too much carry on rule because I’m poor and always trying to avoid baggage fees. I’m also often trekking around a full-face helmet as my third carryon because it never fits in any suitcase… Here’s the trick though–for domestic flights in the US they never weight your carry on, so bring a huge suitcase and then try to be the last person on the flight. They will say, “hmm I don’t know if we can fit that in the overhead, we’re going to have to gatecheck it through to your final destination” And then you say “oh, okay, no problem” and they’re SO relieved that you’re not pitching a fit and you’re happy because you just checked your bag FOR FREE and everyone else is happy because you aren’t cramming a ton of carry on into the overhead. WIN WIN WIN. (Am I horrible person?)
Well I don’t think that would work for many places outside of the US Syd! I agree the airlines are purposely making the baggage problem (as well as most of the other problems) worse by forcing spurious fees on everything! But they should still enforce their own baggage rules more. Each seat should have one overhead space (directly above their seat) for one bag. That’s it. Hey, if you can check your bags for free and avoid paying airline fees though, I’m all for that!
I once saw a guy blatantly pull other bags out of the overhead bin and toss them in the aisle to fit his own giant suitcase in while the other passengers watched, mouths agape. When the flight attendant called him out for it, he stood arguing with her (and blocking the aisle) for 15 minutes until the pilot came back and threatened to kick him off the flight. I mean, really?? As Syd pointed out, you can gate-check for FREE in the US (since carry on sizes are never enforced), so there’s no reason to be rude & horrible.
I was also on a flight once where the heat wasn’t working properly and they didn’t have blankets because it was only a 3 hr flight. To be fair, the flight attendants did their best by keeping the hot coffee & tea flowing, but it was FREEZING.
As far as space goes, I am eternally grateful that I’m a small, 5’2 girl. I can’t even imagine the nightmare of being a tall person in coach!
Thanks so much for the comment Mandie. I’m so jealous of shorter people in coach sometimes! Never take it for granted! Haha!
Some people are just so arrogant and inconsiderate on flights, the pilot shouldn’t have threatened him he should have just unloaded him then and there! I’m equally as astounded as to why none else ever bothers to do anything, if someone tried moving my carry on like that I certainly wouldn’t sit there. But then I’d probably be the one in the wrong! Stupid system. I mean seriously, is consideration and common sense too much to ask for from these people?
You got it. The seat recliners is my LEAST favourite thing people do. Sometimes I actually surprise myself in how frustrated I get at these people. The worst: not putting their seat back when food is being served!!! So my meal tray is basically thrust into my stomach and my elbows pointed upwards to be able to actually cut my food. So annoying!!!!!! I get annoyed just thinking about it!
I know what you mean! I get frustrated just thinking about it too! ;D I don’t know why people allow them to get away with their selfishness at mealtimes though, even the stewardesses will step in and say it isn’t allowed then!
Haha, I had to chuckle while reading this!! Definitely agree with all of them, and I can add one more: check in. I don’t know if it’s just in the US, but I find check in at American airports extremely painful.
Oh believe me I could write another top 10 post about airports and check in alone! Haha! I agree though the US does make it especially arduous to get through.
For me it’s primarily the use of limited fossil fuel, the generation of large quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted at altitudes where their effect is over double that of emissions at sea level.
Arriving at a destination with no real feel for the places between your departure and arrival point.
The queues, the security checks, the over priced food and drinks at airports and onboard.
Flying is hardly the most civilised mode of transport in my opinion.
I completely agree John, it certainly isn’t! Unfortunately airlines know we pretty much have very little choice in many cases but to fly. I know exactly what you mean about the queues, the security checks, the over priced food and drinks and all the airports being the same too! Although personally I’d consider the green issues a bit more than an annoyance. ;D Thanks for commenting.
Since I know I will be irritated by a lot of these points I always choose my airplane seat with care. I can’t ‘fix’ other peoples kids, but I can put my earphones on, and when I travel long distance whenever I can I travel business class. Just to avoid lots of space-annoyments. I know that it is abundantly luxurious, but it will get me more comfortable to the other side of the world and I think its worth it.
Unfortunately Jeanette not everyone has the option to pay the sky high prices for business or first class. I know I certainly don’t, especially if I wanted to continue travelling as much as I do. Furthermore I don’t think it is unreasonable in any class to expect a fair and reasonable amount of space that will allow you to a) fit in your seat and b ) not be physically crushed or even harmed by the person in front of you. I don’t expect ultra luxury in economy class, but I do expect that.
Ha ha! A lot of this rings true. I really hate when the kids kick the back of my seat and parents do not say anything to them about it. And another pet peeve I’d like to add is the guy who sat next to me from Korea to the USA who kept hogging my arm rest and changing the channel on my remote by accident. He did this not once by about 10 different times. You think after the first time you would be more aware and careful. And please, give the person in the middle seat the arm rests! People in the middle have it rough!
Totally agree! The person in the middle seat gets both armrests! That’s the unwritten rule. On my last flight I had a fat guy keep trying to steal the armrest (I was unfortunate enough to be in the middle seat) and kept subtly pushing my arm, so after about an hour I just elbowed him quite hard and glared at him, daring him to do it again, then settled back with both armrests! (That’s the only time being 6″2 on a flight comes in handy!) Haha!
But you are so right, parents who do nothing about their brats are the worst!
Haha I loved this! You are so right! I think all the airlines should read this and take note.
I definitely think they should too, and all their passengers! ;D
Hahaha, I know this article was in jest but there are some genuine problems here that make life hell for frequent flyers, and I completley agree with most of them, especially the recliners!
I’m with you Stacey! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Yes, yes and yes on every one of these! Especially those who bring on a ton of carry on and then take up ALL the overhead locker space, absolute selfishness!
It really is!