Getting drunk, using both armrests, and standing up during turbulence are among the most annoying things you can do on a plane, a pollster found

11.06.2024 - 16:41 / insider.com

If you want a harmonious plane journey, best not let your kids play in the aisle, get drunk, or watch a movie without headphones, an online survey from pollster YouGov found.

YouGov questioned 1,152 American adults about 30 common passenger behaviors and whether they considered them acceptable.

The polling company asked respondents to answer the question: "Do you consider it to be generally acceptable or unacceptable for a passenger to do the following while flying on a commercial airline?"

According to the survey's respondents, the worst behavior is letting children play in the aisle, with 86% of those surveyed finding it unacceptable.

It was followed by getting drunk or leaving your seat during turbulence, both of which 82% of those polled found unacceptable.

Last year, Dutch airline KLM said passengers were causing more problems and that alcohol was usually to blame. 2023 saw around 2,000 unruly passenger incidents in the US — more than double pre-pandemic figures.

Though not exhaustive, YouGov's list included a number of other behaviors that most respondents found unacceptable, such as leaving trash in the seatback pocket, using both armrests when someone is sitting next to you, and not paying attention to the safety demonstration.

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However, other actions were a lot more divisive.

For example, 55% and 53% of respondents said that removing your shoes and climbing over someone to get to the bathroom were unacceptable. A respective 30% and 32% found these acceptable, meaning around 15% of people were undecided.

People were most split when it came to bringing a small dog on board, which 37% said was acceptable and 40% said was unacceptable.

In April, a United Airlines flight diverted after a dog pooped in the aisle, and staff spent two hours cleaning it up.

Some of the behaviors YouGov asked about were largely seen as acceptable like 51% saying it's OK to ask to switch seats, versus 26% seeing that as unacceptable.

You also shouldn't have a problem waking a seatmate to use the bathroom or using a laptop on a tray table.

However, only 19% of people said it was unacceptable to close the window blind during takeoff and landing — despite this being against safety protocols.

Airlines have this instruction so that passengers and crew can see if there are any problems with the plane. For example, the Japan Airlines fire in January might not have been evacuated as quickly if the windows had been shut since it would've taken longer to notice the problem.