published about 4 hours ago
With travel finally returning to pre-pandemic levels, we don’t blame you if you’re ready to jet off to a new and exciting destination. But travel itself can be stressful, and dealing with rude passengers on a flight can make what should be the beginning of your vacation feel headache-inducing. But how do Americans feel about airplane etiquette, and what are some of the worst offenses a fellow passenger can commit?
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For starters, no one wants your seat in their face. The Vacationer found that more than 77% of people (77.32%, to be exact) think it’s rude to fully recline your airplane seat during travel. Of these respondents, 45.99% think reclining your seat is rude and don’t do it, while 27.87% politely ask before doing so.
Unfortunately, that widespread consensus doesn’t apply to removing one’s shoes during a flight. The survey found that more than 36% of Americans have removed their shoes while flying, while 9.56% (nearly 25 million people) admit to removing both their shoes and socks. The Vacationer’s previous survey found that around one in four people find this annoying, so maybe reconsider! Younger Americans are also more likely to remove their shoes on flights, with 45.34% of people aged 18-29 saying they’ve removed their shoes during at least one flight.
And don’t expect the average passenger to give up their seat so you can sit with your family members or partner. It turns out that more than one in four people would not switch to a worse seat from an aisle or window seat so that members of a traveling party can sit together. However, travelers are significantly more likely to switch seats if children are involved. Nearly two out of three Americans would switch seats so a family could sit together (64.29%), while only 39.43% of Americans would switch seats for a couple without children.
Curious what else is ticking your fellow airline passengers off? You can view The Vacationer’s full survey and results here.