Sitting at lunch, not that long ago, with a group of friends who travel a great deal, the conversation eventually went to air travel. We all had war stories about TSA security, but we quickly realized that, as a group, we thought there were many non-TSA issues which were even more annoying than anything faced at airport security.
We decided that airline passengers, more than airline employees and even TSA agents, were far too often the unnecessary cause of problems facing their fellow air passengers.
Here are our top 15 non-TSA air travel peeves, in no particular order:
1. Airlines think their passengers are only 4 feet tall — We understand the airlines need to turn a profit, but I’m not a large person and lately the airlines have packed so many seats into the cabin, even my knees virtually touch the seat in front of me.
2. Passengers who recline their seat back at the speed of light — Personally, I think it’s okay for passengers wanting a little comfort to recline their seat when trying to rest, but passengers should have regard for the person sitting behind them. I always check before reclining my seat, to ensure I won’t slam food, drink, a computer, etc., into their lap. Sometimes I’ll delay reclining, if necessary, and I always recline slowly.
3. Large passengers who don’t purchase two seats for themselves and think they’re entitled to part of my seat — I’m sympathetic to the plight of large passengers. Today’s airline seats are small for many, but that doesn’t give any passenger the right to crowd another out of part of their seat or to dig their elbows or shoulders into them.
4. Passengers who think the airplane cabin is their bedroom — Sexual activity belongs at home or one’s hotel, not in an airplane.
5. Passengers who think flight attendants are their personal slaves — There are far too many “needy” passengers who are constantly hitting the call button, monopolizing flight attendant time.
6. Passengers who take their shoes and/or socks off, bring smelly food on board or bathe themselves in perfume or cologne — It can, and often does, unfairly make other passengers sick to their stomachs.
7. Passengers who are either dirty or wearing dirty clothes, and/or not using deodorant — There is no excuse for a passenger making another’s flight miserable because they or their clothes literally reek.
8. Passengers who are drunk and the flight attendants who continue to serve them — My personal experience indicates this problem is growing. Loudmouth drunks ruin everyone’s flight and can be dangerous to those around them. Flight attendants who serve obviously drunk passengers alcoholic beverages are part of the problem and should be severely disciplined or fired.
9. Parents who are traveling with children and think their misbehavior is somehow cute and refuse to control them, and/or are unprepared for their children to fly — I’ve been kicked in the back of my seat by unruly children more times than I can remember, generally because their parents are uninterested in anyone but themselves or are completely unprepared. When my wife and I traveled with our children, we explained what would happen on the flight and what we expected of them. We brought books, games, food and drink on board for them to keep them happy and occupied.
10. Passengers who take mini-vacations in the plane’s lavatory and don’t clean up after themselves — No plane seems to have enough lavatories when you need one and there’s little more disgusting than a filthy lavatory. It’s not the airlines’ fault lavatories get filthy during flights. It’s the fault of selfish passengers. Passengers need to take care of their business, clean up after themselves and get out of the lavatory.
11. Passengers who allow their pets out of their cage in the plane’s cabin — Many passengers are allergic to the fur of animals and no passengers should have to deal with someone else’s pet while aloft.
12. No electrical outlets for every airplane seat in the 21st Century — The airlines should realize that this is the “connected electronic age.” Especially on longer flights (more than 2 hours) planes should be equipped with an electrical outlet at every seat to charge and run electronic devices.
13. Passengers who refuse to close their window shades when politely asked — There’s no reason to refuse to help a fellow passenger when the sun is blinding them or preventing them from sleeping.
14. Passengers who block others’ access to the baggage carousel and who lift up luggage which is obviously not theirs — Maybe it’s just me, but seriously, why do so many people crowd around the carousel and refuse to let anyone behind them get through to retrieve their bag going by, and why does anyone have to handle luggage which can’t be theirs?
15. Passengers with clearly oversized carry-ons – These selfish passengers are my personal top peeve when traveling by air. The airlines are also at fault, as they can and should be enforcing their existing maximum dimension rules for carry-on. The oversize bags take up so much room, often passengers at the end of the boarding line are forced to gate check their bag, and they make boarding take far longer than necessary.
What’s your pet air travel peeve?
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.
