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Upgraded Points just released an interesting study on the most and least irritable passengers in the United States. This was broken down by state with 2,000 respondents giving their opinions. The two states where I live both ranked in the top five most irritable. I guess I’m living in the right spots for my personality because I largely agree with the study (especially the child-free preference).
The study measured irritability across the most common air travel annoyances. This included everything from fees to noisy kids and overhead bin hogs. Respondents also shared how they react when pushed past their breaking point.
The 5 Most Irritable States for Air Travel
1. Texas – 79.4/100
Texans have the shortest fuse. They get irritated just 40 minutes into a delay. One-third have confronted a fellow passenger mid-journey and they’re willing to pay an average of $207 to avoid sitting near children.
2. Florida – 73.4/100
More than 25% of Floridians admit to complaining to airline staff and 56% would pay for a kid-free cabin. They would spend an average of $235 for the privilege of not having children on board. Around 60% would also confront another traveler around their bad behavior.
3. New York – 66.7/100
New Yorkers rated their irritation level a four out of five across all categories. Top triggers include delays (4.5) and personal space invasions (4.33). Nearly 60% would pay to dodge children and 13% have switched seats to avoid annoying passengers.
4. California – 64.7/100
Around 25% of Californians have asked a stranger to change their behavior. They’re willing to spend $157 for a peaceful, child-free flight.
5. Illinois – 57.8/100
Illinois travelers are big spenders when it comes to wanting an adults only experience. They’re willing to pay an average of $378 to avoid kids on board (I’d gladly pay even more). Surprise fees are the biggest annoyance with these ranking a 4.5 on the irritation scale.
When it comes to air travel frustrations, surprise fees take the top spot. Unexpected charges like baggage or seat selections earned a 4.31 out of five from travelers. This was even higher than delays (4.25) and neighbors invading their personal space (4.08). Other common annoyances included reclining passengers (3.82), long lines (3.71), and barefoot travelers (3.64). The least offensive? Passengers who clap on landing (2.12). Many travelers said they’d pay to avoid the children. Around 41% want a quiet or kid-free zone and 37% would shell out $50+ for this benefit.
Business travelers proved to be the least tolerant: they’re 4x more likely than leisure flyers to ask others to adjust their behavior (29% versus 7%) and 3x more likely to complain midflight (20% versus 6%). Nearly 15% admitted to having had an aggressive confrontation in the air (compared to under 5% of vacationers).
Anthony’s Take: People are rude, entitled, loud, and sometimes just gross in flight. It’s funny to see the states where I have spent the most time (Illinois, Florida, New York, and California) rank so high. I agree that childfree flights are worth a splurge and wish that those would become a reality.
(Image Credits: Manuel-F-O via iStock and Upgraded Points.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
