Expedia released on Tuesday the results of the Airplane Etiquette Study, an examination of American conduct in mid-air. The study looked at passenger behaviors that most infuriate fellow travelers. And the winner is… rear-seat kicking.
The study solicited feedback from 1,005 Americans aged 18+. It was commissioned by Expedia and conducted by GfK, an independent global market research company.
Sixty-four percent of Americans cited the “Rear Seat Kicker” as the most problematic passenger, edging “Inattentive Parents” (59 percent), defined as “parents who have no control over, or pay no attention to, their crying, whining or misbehaved children.” Those two categories most likely overlap. “Aromatic” passengers – those with poor hygiene or those wearing excessive cologne or perfume – are the third least-liked (55 percent), followed by the “Audio Insensitive” (49%), the passenger who talks loudly or listens to music without consideration for fellow fliers.
I thought the “Armrest Hog” would be higher up in the list.
Ranking of onboard etiquette violators:
- The Rear Seat Kicker (cited by 64% of respondents)
- Inattentive Parents (59%)
- The Aromatic Passenger (55%)
- The Audio Insensitive (49%)
- The Boozer (49%)
- Chatty Cathy (40%)
- The Queue Jumper (35%)
- Seat-Back Guy (35%)
- The Armrest Hog (34%)
- Pungent Foodies (30%)
- The Undresser (28%)
- The Amorous (28%)
- The Mad Bladder (22%)
- The Single and Ready to Mingle (18)
Source: Expedia
