Plane Ride Annoyances
While traveling is fun and exciting, the process of getting there usually isn't. Long waits at the airport and going through security are already a hassle, but the real struggle isn't until you're on the flight. Here are 20 pet peeves we know you have when you're a plane passenger.
1. Reclining Seats Too Far
While you are technically allowed to recline your seat on the plane, there's an unspoken rule among all passengers that you should never recline so far back that it's uncomfortable for the person behind you. It's just simple manners! If you don't want it done to you, don't do it to someone else.
2. Strong Body Odor
People head on planes knowing fully well that they're going to be up close and personal with the people around them. After all, economy is notorious for being a bit cramped! That's why having to deal with strong body odors that are unpleasant feels so disrespectful - no one wants to deal with that, especially if you're stuck on a long flight!
3. Cold Plane Food
Plane food is already known for not being the most delicious meal you're going to ever put in your body, but the least they can do is warm it up, right? As if you weren't already disappointed, being met with cold airplane food can really spoil your appetite.
4. Broken Entertainment Systems
Imagine yourself on a 12-hour flight to Japan, you've found your seat and you're all buckled up when suddenly, you realize the entertainment screen in front of you is dead. What are you supposed to do now? For people who rely entirely on watching movies or shows to get through the flight, it can feel like the unluckiest annoyance to ever come your way. Surely you can get some money back, right?
5. Unsanitary Washrooms
We know going to the washroom thousands of meters up in the air can prove to be a bit tricky, especially when there's turbulence, but at the very most, clean up after yourself! No one wants to deal with dirty and stinky toilets for the next several hours.
6. Getting Up To Let Someone Through
Whether you're sleeping, watching a movie, or simply jamming to some tunes, everyone always feels a little bit annoyed when the unavoidable question comes: "Can you get up? I need to use the washroom." With seats so cramped in economy, you'll always have to make room for whoever needs to go.
7. Having To Ask Someone To Get Up
And on the flip side, you feel the same embarrassment when it's your turn to go! Everyone has to use the washroom at some point, and when it's your time, all you can think about is knowing exactly how the person who has to move will feel.
8. People Ignoring The Plane Signs
If the plane tells you to put on your seatbelt and stay put, you do what the captain says! These signs are for everyone's safety, so it can be frustrating seeing people blatantly ignore them.
9. Tiny Snacks Provided By The Airline
After paying hundreds of dollars for a plane flight, some people find it hilariously annoying seeing the tiny snacks airlines provide. Surely they can give a little more than a single cookie! And when airport prices are just as overpriced, it only leaves you with one option: pack from home (which not everyone has the time for!).
10. Crying Babies
Every plane passenger's biggest fear: crying babies. Uncontrollable, unbelievably loud, and seemingly endless, everyone's pet peeve is always having to suffer through a flight with a child throwing a tantrum. The worst part of it is, there's nothing you, the flight attendants, or the parents can do. Babies have a mind of their own!
11. Child Kicking Your Seat
Second biggest fear? Being sat in front of a disrespectful child that repeatedly kicks your seat for the duration of your flight. We're not sure what's worse: the kicking or the ignorant parents who don't do anything about it.
12. Hogging The Armrests
Here's another unspoken rule: it's rude to hog the armrests knowing the people sitting next to you want to use it too. People who call "dibs" or quickly claim them the moment you sit down are a bit immature. Why does only one person need to suffer?
13. People Who Don't Use Headphones
This pet peeve isn't just limited to plane rides, it's any public space where you're close to other people. Listening to your videos or calling someone on speakerphone is unbelievably rude. Not only does it force others to listen in on whatever you're listening to, it disturbs their peace and personal space.
14. Getting Stuck Behind The Drink Trolley
Have you ever gotten up to go to the washroom only to find that upon your return, you're stuck behind the attendants passing out juice? It's an awkward situation where you find yourself slowly following along behind them.
Ismail Mohamed - SoviLe on Unsplash
15. Children Running Down The Walkways
If it's already frustrating down on flat ground, seeing children running up and down the walkways just becomes a bit of a flight hazard when you're flying thousands of meters up the sky. It's enough to set off any nervous flier!
16. People Who Don't Respect The Time
If it's early in the morning and most passengers are still asleep or it's late at night and people are trying to doze off, maybe it's best if you keep your light off, windows shut, and noise at a low. It is the respectful thing to do after all!
17. Not Being Given Privacy
Have you ever been stuck next to a fellow passenger who just won't leave you alone? While short conversation is fine, if they keep trying to talk to you when you clearly don't want to, it can leave you feeling stuck and annoyed. Sometimes, you just have to learn how to read the room.
18. No Leg Room
Whether the person in front of you has reclined too far, your bag is sticking out too much, or you simply bought economy tickets on a small airline, everyone always goes on a plane knowing there won't be much leg room, but it doesn't get any easier each time.
19. Manspreading
And to make things even more uncomfortable in an already cramped area, people who manspread show not just a lack of respect for your personal space, but also that they prioritize their own comfort and needs above everyone else. It can simply rub people the wrong way.
20. Sitting In The Middle
Ah yes, the infamous middle seat. The "I'm going to save money on the flight" seat that you sacrifice to stay in budget. Being squished between two people, fighting over the armrest, having to get up for other people while also asking them to move when it's your turn, is simply an experience everyone would prefer not to have.
