Europeans dread plane 'seat hogs'

01 October 2012 08:54

'Seat hogs' were the top annoyance of European travellers asked to rate the most irritating in-flight problems

'Seat hogs' were the top annoyance of European travellers asked to rate the most irritating in-flight problems

What is the most irritating in-flight habit? 'Seat hogs' sat at the top of the list of air travel annoyances in a poll by last minute.com. Two-thirds (60%) of more than 6,600 European respondents from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK said occupying too much space on a plane was the most annoying in-flight habit.

Screaming children were close behind space hogs as a major irritation, as over half (59%) of air passengers voted for them. Rounding out the top three spots was drunken and disorderly behaviour, with 53% of the votes. Who are the most dreaded groups of passengers to share a flight with? A quarter (26%) of Europeans said families with young children were the most dreaded. Britons dread families with small children and stag parties equally as both earned 31% of the votes among UK air travellers.

What to do in the face of annoyance? Well, more than half (53%) of the passengers polled suffer in silence. Britons are the most likely of the five nationalities surveyed to act when annoyed, with 69% saying they have done so. Only 33% of Italians said they had taken action when annoyed. UK passengers are also the most likely of all nationalities polled to take extreme action when dealing with a problematic flight, such as take a sleeping pill (9%) or reaching for alcohol (9%). Taking precautions is always wise before travelling, including taking out travel insurance.

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