Monday 29 December 2014

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What you hate about fellow fliers

Poorly-behaved children, flatulent neighbours and locker hoggers. Readers let off steam about their fellow air travellers.

What we hate about fellow fliers
"Obese people 'spreading' into my seat" Photo: ALAMY

Last week we published the results of a survey about air passengers' most irritating habits. The poll encouraged dozens of readers to tell us about their biggest air travel gripes. Here is a selection of the best emails.

Wind up

Not so much irritating as offensive, people who pass wind repeatedly. They must know it is offensive.
Dr Alan Pike

Fat fighters

1. Overweight passengers intruding into MY space on-board!
2. Oh, and people getting arsey when I recline MY seat

Obese people 'spreading' into my seat.

"Without a doubt, children should be banned from air travel"

Child's play

Children that either scream incessantly or kick the back of your seat (something parents think is ‘cute’). Without a doubt, children (under 10 years of age) should be banned from air travel.
Randy Hearn

Wailing and/or ill-behaved children and of course – their parents. However, just wait until the mobile-phone brigade get started...
Ian Cameron

"If you can't lift it, check it"

Excess baggage

People who bring more than the allowed carry-on baggage (lots of separate, smaller items, or bags that are clearly much larger than the allowed size)... They monopolise the overhead bins; I fly with only 1 “regulation-size” carry-on bag, and sometimes have no place to stow it!
Myles Kelley

People who take ALL their baggage into the cabin and take up all the locker space. How do they get past the airline staff?

Upset the Apple cart

Lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. Young adult women that will not, and known not how to, turn off their Apple electronic devices during take-off and landing.

On two recent EasyJet flights I observed, on each flight, the stewardess repeatedly question a young woman to turn off her device - get arrogant defiant stares - and finally have to instruct the female to hold the power button for several seconds until the device turned off.

And I had to, on both flights, turn to the girls next to me and inform them that "Aircraft Mode" was not a powered-off device. That "Aircraft Mode" was only for use when at cruising altitudes.

I'm concerned for two reasons. One is that I've an electrical engineering degree and understand the reasons the airline industry ask for all electronic devices to be powered off during take-off and landing. Second is that people without the education I have seem to think putting other human lives at risk is their right!

Sure - fat passengers, smelly passengers, and drunk passengers - along with talkative passengers on long haul night flights - are irritating. But young women with no understanding or care of safety procedures are a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
Peter P

Cough off

People who cough without using their hand or better still a handkerchief to trap the spary and gems. The aircraft system recycles the air, spray and gems!
Name withheld

"Men who manage to miss the pan and don't clear it up"

Indescent scent

I can stand a bit of body odor but heavy perfumes and colognes make me nauseous. Some produce an asthma attack. I think the same rule they use in hospitals about strong scents and latex balloons should apply to airlines... and airports... and taxis... and public transit ... and so on.
Alison Bruce

Pee off

Having travelled many many times in business and cattle class I think the most annoying thing is the men who manage to miss the pan and hit the floor and don't clear it up! Especially we you have only got socks on!
Jackie Thornton

Nail on the head

On my last flight from London to Cape Town, I insisted on being moved because the man next to me was literally munching his finger nails. Disgusting.
Christina Pretorius

Back off

How they grab the back of your seat to lift themselves up, nearly snapping your neck in the process.
Tim Campbell

People who pull the back of your seat when they get up / sit down. The table and TV screen are on the back of MY seat…. not yours!
Pete Crispin

"People who can't wait for the drinks trolley to pass without going to the toilet"

The ten commandments

1. Screaming kids and the parents who won’t do a thing to silence them
2. People who insist on reclining their seats on cramped short-haul economy flights
3. People who can’t wait for the drinks trolley to pass without going to the toilet
4. People who leave the toilets in a mess
5. People who have to switch on their mobile phones and start gassing as soon as the plane lands
6. People who keep their hand luggage hanging from their shoulders while walking down the aisle so that it whacks the side of seated passengers' heads
7. Women who bring heavy bags as hand luggage and expect help with their stowage in the overhead lockers – if you can’t lift it, check it
8. Kids who kick the seat backs
9. People who fill overhead lockers at the front of the plane when seated in the rear
10. People who believe it is their divine right to keep everyone waiting while they stroll around duty-free/go for a last minute pee/can’t find gate 32
Gordon Low

And three more

1. On a long-haul flight being sat next to a person who needs to know where I am going and why.
2. Comments from fellow passengers that the UK has some how gone "downhill" in every aspect (mainly they cannot automatically get tickets for Wimbledon/Ascot/Twickers etc).
3. My next door passenger bleeting because his plc will not allow business class travel anymore on BA thus reducing his air miles and access to the lounge. His comments on Ryanair are unprintable especially when I say they are making a profit and fly more passengers than BA.
John Christopher Nixon

The rant to end all rants

Children - noisy or crying behind or in front of you
Children - kicking the back of your seat
Children - running up and down the aisle
Passengers getting up and collecting their hand luggage while taxiing after a flight
Passengers turning on their mobile phones as soon as we land - often making calls before the plane has stopped
Passengers clapping as soon as the plane touches the ground
Queue jumping - either at the check in or gate
Passengers not cleaning the toilet or hand basin after use
Passengers wearing baseball caps and / or sunglasses during a flight
Trolley dollies not bringing round the drinks often enough
Passengers talking loudly to each other during the safety announcement
Smoking and keeping the fags hidden inside a drinks can (ever flown to Algeria ?)
Window seats without a window
Passengers carrying obviously excess hand luggage, rushing on first and filling the overhead compartments
Cost of a beer at a number of airports
Flights which allow mobile phone calls. "Hello, hello, hello, I'm on the plane"
Passengers who occupy your window seat instead of their middle seat then pretend they are sleeping
Last row seats which do not recline
Drinks served after you have finished your meal
Broken seats
Paying for trolleys
As a frequent flyer, not being upgraded
Night flights
"Stupid" (in whatever way I think) passengers
Greg Morgan

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