From bad parents to body odor, here’s what annoys airline travelers most

Etiquette violations poll shines light on bad behaviors

Let’s face it, it’s the destination that has you excited. Some people may enjoy the travel itself — navigating airports, tracking luggage and dealing with other passengers — but for most of us, it can be stressful and annoying.

Some behaviors are more annoying than others, according to a survey by the Vacationer. Its Airplane Etiquette Violations poll asked, “When flying on a plane, which behaviors from fellow passengers annoy you?”

Respondents could pick all the slights that bothered them or pick none at all.

Anyone on social media can likely guess one of the top two most annoying violations. TikTok and other platforms are filled with videos of drunken and disruptive passengers causing problems on flights. With 59.11% of respondents saying this is a problem, these travelers tied with those who kick the back of other people’s seats.

Coming in at No. 3 was insults to the olfactory system. Smells from poor hygiene, or from wearing too much perfume or cologne, bothered 48% of the respondents. Not too far behind, at No. 5, pungent or foul-smelling food was annoying to 39.8%.

Children on planes didn’t make the list, but parents who are inattentive or doing a poor job of parenting ranked No. 4, bothering 46.81% of their fellow travelers.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

6. Hogs the armrests: 39.07%

7. Reclines seat fully in front of you: 38.25%

8. Talks to you too much: 29.87%

9. Boards or deplanes out of turn: 29.60%

10. Listens to music or movies too loudly: 28.96%

The poll was conducted by SurveyMonkey. In total, 1,098 Americans over the age of 18 were surveyed. Of those who responded, 47.27% were male and 52.73% were female.