With all the safety distance measures we had to follow in the past two years, sharing an indoor space with strangers has become quite uncomfortable for many. And if the enclosed space in question is an airplane, then things get even more uncomfortable—especially if you have to deal with annoying passengers.
Only Wanderlust has recently published a survey on the most annoying passengers on a plane. Using a sample of more than 1,500 travelers, the travel resource website listed the most common air passengers’ annoyances. Unsurprisingly, the list also includes Covid-19-related annoyances, such as passengers who do not wear their mask properly.
Many of us are flying again after an extended time off due to the pandemic. With that comes the trials and tribulations of sharing an enclosed space with strangers at 36,000 feet. We were interested to see what the most common annoyance is and where improper mask-wearing ranked as it is a new addition to air travel.
Amar Hussain, Founder of Only Wanderlust
From people reclining their seat to snoring seatmates, the accurate list is inclusive of any possible irritating passenger we can think of.
Only Wanderlust also surveyed whether airline passengers have the right to recline their seats. Results show that 2 out of 3 people believe that passengers do have this right. The company also reached out to several airlines, including Alaska Air, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines to ask their opinion. All of them said there is no policy on the right to recline. So, in case the person in front of you reclines their seat, you could try talking to the passenger, and if that doesn’t solve the problem, call a flight attendant.
