Here’s my list of the 17 worst air traveler behaviors that readers and my friends and family have encountered while flying this year.
During the COVID pandemic, those of us who had to continue to fly found behavior in the air hit all-time lows. The strain of the restrictions and the unknown was often extreme. After the pandemic behavior dramatically improved.
Unfortunately, a few years later the poor behavior seems to have returned. Here are the seventeen worst air travel behaviors that readers, friends and family have seen in the last year.
Passengers who have to touch every seat they pass, or try to upgrade their seat by downgrading the seat of other passengers via a swap are beyond annoying.
17. Seat Grabbers:
Economy seating is tight, so some passengers need to occasionally use the seat in front of them to stand. They don’t need to yank hard, however, and passengers walking down the aisle absolutely don’t need to touch or handle every seat they pass.
16. Seat trader hustlers:
I understand that couples or parents and children want to sit together. Those who ask to trade seats to do so, need to request to trade even or down, not up, especially if children aren’t involved. Asking to trade a middle seat for an aisle seat or a first class seat for an economy seat is a con.
15. Overhead Bin Usurpers and Greedy Bin Loaders:
There’s little to do when passengers put their carry-ons in the bin over your seat, even when there is plenty of room where they’re seated, but for those who put their bags in flat, or sideways, turn them around to make room. If they object, tell them to complain to the flight attendant.
14. Power Seat Recliners:
Today’s airplane seating is unforgiving for those of us with back problems, so I recline my seat during the flight. That said, there’s no excuse for anyone to recline their seat forcefully or rapidly. Seats shouldn’t be reclined during meal service.
Early in the year several readers told me about their problems with drunk passengers and passengers who want to talk to them about triviality and touch them constantly while they talk.
13: Trivial Talkers:
Some passengers want to talk throughout their flight. If you don’t, tell them that you’re tired, put on headphones and close your eyes. They’ll get the message.
12. Unwelcome Touchers:
Some people can’t talk with another person without touching them. I ask them to stop touching me, then put on my headphones and ignore them. If they continue to talk and touch, I ask a flight attendant for assistance.
11. In-Flight Rummies:
There’s no excuse for being drunk on a plane. While the passenger is always at fault, I’ve seen flight attendants serve obviously intoxicated passengers too many times. If someone sitting next to or near me is drunk and obnoxious, I ask to move or have them moved. If a flight attendant is going to serve them again, I complain. Every time I’ve done that, other passengers immediately chime in. They were waiting for someone to complain first.
It’s time for large passengers to buy a second seat for themselves and for the airlines to assist them to do so. It’s also time for passengers with long hair, coats and a desire to use sanitary seat covers to be respectful of other passengers.
10. Seatback Trespassers:
I’ve run into this too often. Most of the time it’s either a woman with long hair draped over the seat back or a coat flopped over it. It reduces the passenger’s space behind the seat and blocks their seatback screen and sometimes a laptop screen on the tray table. Worse are the passengers who use the plastic sanitary covers over the entire seat, even blocking access to the tray table. I politely ask the person in front to remove their hair, coat or cover. I ask for help from the flight attendant if they don’t comply.
9. Seat Encroachers:
I sympathize with large passengers. Most seats in commercial planes today are too narrow for anyone and impossible for large people. That said, every passenger, not just large ones, deserve to use their entire seat unimpeded. No one has the right to put the armrest up that divides seats to take part of someone else’s seat. This may sound harsh to some, but large people should purchase two seats. While large passengers deserve our respect, they need to respect the rights of other passengers too.
8. Thoughtless Fragrance Dousers:
There are passengers who think it’s okay to douse themselves in perfume or cologne. It’s almost impossible to sit next to them. They can cause real trouble for passengers with asthma. Those who bring food on board with a strong or pungent odor are no better. It’s not fair to other passengers in the closed environment of an airplane cabin.
Not long ago I didn’t enjoy a 90 minute trip on Amtrak with a kid watching a movie without earphones, seated a few rows away and his mom who refused to do anything it. On five hour flight I can’t imagine it.
7. Earphone-A-Phobes:
I hate when nearby passengers play games, music or watch a video with no headphones. It’s unfair. Ask them politely to put on a headset, then insist, if they persist. If you’re ignored, call in a flight attendant.
6. Cabin Diaper Changers:
We flew with our kids when they were still in diapers. Changing them is dirty and messy. In-flight, diaper changing should only be in the lavatories, never at the seats. Dirty diapers should never by put in the toilet or in the seatback pocket.
5. Unaware and Defiant Parents:
As a parent, I know that flying with children isn’t easy. Children are generally more needy than adults and coping for them is hard. Parents must be prepared to feed and provide entertainment for their children. They need to ensure their children won’t be a burden to other passengers and the flight crew. When children act out or are bored, don’t point your finger at the kids. Point it at their parents.
4. Nail Salon Dimwits:
After a friend recently endured the clipping and filing of a nail salon dimwit in the middle seat, who to gain access to her feet, periodically pressed her “smelly” feet against my friend’s slacks, she pulled out nail polish. My friend pushed the call button and the flight attendant told the polisher to stop or she’d be arrested upon landing. It worked.
3. Feet/Toe Exhibitionists:
Have you ever found a naked foot on your arm rest from behind? I have and their “aromatic” scent was almost enough to make me barf. I reacted by slapping it away and heard from behind, “Do it again and I’ll prefer assault charges.” Ugh! When he put it back, I took out my smartphone and started a video. As I aimed the smartphone at his face, I told the guy he’d be a social media star within five minutes if he didn’t stop. I never smelled his feet again.
On a long flight, there’s nothing worse than sitting near a passenger who’s sneezing and coughing and not wearing a mask or having your seat constantly kicked for hours.
2. Seat Kicker:
Enduring a seat kicker is awful. It’s usually a kid who’s out of control, but sometimes it’s nervous or drunk adults. To stop it, politely speak to the parent or adult behind you. If that doesn’t work, seek help from a flight attendant.
1. Maskless Infectors:
If you’re coughing or sneezing, but still flying it’s unfair to those in the aircraft cabin for you to fly without wearing an N95 or KN95 facemask to keep your germs from infecting others in the cabin. Frankly, if you might have the Flu or COVID, you should test yourself and if infected, immediately see a physician and definitely not fly.
If you encounter one or more of these misbehaviors, take a deep breath and don’t accept them. Try to get passengers to stop and if they don’t, ask for flight attendant help.
After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
