# Annoying airline passenger habits **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241 "2015-12-12T13:26:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/81 "2015-12-15T03:43:55Z")
My airline pet peeve is _being_ the annoying passenger. Mrs. SMV’s father being a retired Delta gate agent, we fly on passes. Which means, standby. Which means sitting, usually, in separate seats wherever they can be found. Thus it was last month on a flight to Denver that I found myself in the middle seat between two strangers. Now, for a four-hour flight, the social contract as I grok it allows for one trip to the restroom each for the middle and window seats. Unfortunately, I had downed a bottle of water while waiting to board, and soon after my permitted micturatory break, felt the unmistakable urge come upon me. But I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt the man quietly reading in the aisle seat. I had hopes of the window seat, who kept turning to look at the restrooms; I figured I could sneak out when he exercised his potty privileges, in the manner of a football team huddling up during their opponent’s time out. Alas, a timid - or continent - soul, he never exercised his rights. Meanwhile, my need grew. Finally, my bladder would brook no further delay, and I was forced to ask the aisle seat to get up again. I apologized, and fortunately for me, he was a kind and understanding man. Still, I slunk back to the john crimson-cheeked at my solecism. The flight home, on the other hand, was wide open; I had a row all to myself. My bladder being a perverse creature, I didn’t have to go to the bathroom once. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/82 "2015-12-15T03:59:21Z")
If you have to pee, you have to pee. There’s no “social contract” about how many times a passengers can get up from the middle or aisle seat. You put yourself through discomfort for no reason. Until the airlines stop charging $25 for checked bags, I will continue to only use carry on. It fits in the overhead, so if you don’t like it blame the airlines. I’d rather check it than carry it on but I am not paying an additional $25, especially when that fee includes the possibility it may be lost. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/83 "2015-12-15T04:29:38Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I was standby on a Lufthansa flight from SFO to Frankfurt (didn’t get on) and they checked the size of our carry on bags carefully. In fact they went around the gate area with a portable scale and a ruler and checked everyone’s and even took a big bag away from one guy. I wish there was more of this. If I fly standby I don’t want to check luggage, but I can keep everything in a small bag, small enough to fit in the overhead easily. I don’t get how you guys do it in the US. Here, the size of our carry on is checked when we pass through the first security check, then again at the gate - there is a box type contraption - if your bag can’t fit in, then it’s too big. And I don’t recall seeing any bags that are noticably oversized. We also have a weight limit of 7kg, that can be bent a bit, however is generally observed for budget carriers ('cause they will take your bag from you and charge you for the privilege of having it checked) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/84 "2015-12-15T04:49:25Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > I don’t get how you guys do it in the US. > > Here, the size of our carry on is checked when we pass through the first security check, then again at the gate - there is a box type contraption - if your bag can’t fit in, then it’s too big. We have the box contraptions too, at least some airlines do. We just don’t use them so much. (The security checks here don’t look at the size of your bag, although I guess they would if it couldn’t physically pass through the machine.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/85 "2015-12-15T12:01:22Z")
Had a family once bring in some curried dish, so they could eat while on the plane. I cannot stand the smell of curry. Fuck them. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/86 "2015-12-15T12:53:56Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > We have the box contraptions too, at least some airlines do. We just don’t use them so much. (The security checks here don’t look at the size of your bag, although I guess they would if it couldn’t physically pass through the machine.) Yes, we have a box, but they only ask people to shove their bags into it if the bag looks oversize or they know there won’t be room for luggage. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/87 "2015-12-15T13:51:01Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > What gets me is the guy behind me who grabs my seat back whenever he gets up or sits down. Urge to kill rising… :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/88 "2015-12-15T13:55:05Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I apologized, and fortunately for me, he was a kind and understanding man. Still, I slunk back to the john crimson-cheeked at my solecism. You’re being silly. 🙂 The social contract is that somebody sitting on the aisle gets the benefits of extra room on that side, but also that they’re going to have to get up every now and then to let somebody use the bathroom or grab something from the overhead. If you don’t want to put up with that, book a window seat. Johnny Bravo, who **always** picks the aisle seat when flying alone. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/89 "2015-12-15T15:12:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > You’re being silly. 🙂 > > The social contract is that somebody sitting on the aisle gets the benefits of extra room on that side, but also that they’re going to have to get up every now and then to let somebody use the bathroom or grab something from the overhead. If you don’t want to put up with that, book a window seat. > > Johnny Bravo, who **always** picks the aisle seat when flying alone. Yeah, you shouldn’t have felt bad about asking to get up to use the toilet. Especially if the guy in the aisle wasn’t asleep. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/90 "2015-12-15T15:30:43Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt the man quietly reading in the aisle seat. I had hopes of the window seat, who kept turning to look at the restrooms; I figured I could sneak out when he exercised his potty privileges I wouldn’t worry about it too much when people aren’t eating or sleeping. Waiting for the other person to have to go first is not the bes strategy as you’ve found out; I think it wasn’t until my fifth transatlantic flight that I used the on-board lavatories (why do they call them that?) for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/91 "2015-12-15T15:34:10Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > I don’t get how you guys do it in the US. For the most part, the airlines don’t want the gatekeepers confronting guests with oversize bags. Additional problem is that different plane configurations can accommodate different-sized bags, so larger carry-ons don’t qualify for every flight (even within the same airline), but the customer saying that their carry on fits “is always right”. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/92 "2015-12-16T01:27:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > This. What the hell did the airlines think would happen? Going from $0 to $25. Instead, they should charge for carry-on. That would also make security lines faster. That’s a good point about the security lines going faster. I hadn’t even thought of that. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Why do all you people care that I bring a suitcase on board? It fits overhead. I don’t spend a ton of time putting it there or taking it out. And I’m not in your way when you wait to get your luggage, which will probably arrive faster since you don’t have to wait for my bag. I don’t care that you, personally, bring a suitcase on board; I care that bringing luggage on board has become the norm to the extent that everybody does it. All those suitcases add up, and also, with the overhead bins completely filling up, many people don’t get a spot directly over their own seat, necessitating a lot of moving around during the loading/unloading process, which holds up the entire line. > [@snowthx](#): > > This may be a topic for another thread, but maybe there is an easier way to do the whole baggage thing than separating people from their bags early in the process. Most people have but one suitcase (or less) that they can navigate around the terminal as well as security just fine - that bag/suitcase may or may not fit in the overhead bin. Sure, there are families with a lot of gear, but that is not the rule. Why not let people keep their bags with them as long as they want, all they way to boarding, then part ways there. And likewise, let people claim their bags right there as they exit the airplane instead of having it go to a far-flung baggage claim area where you could be competing with the hoards. That way you know your bag is on the same plane as you, and it will arrive at the same place as you at the same time. As far as I can tell, they already do this–they almost have to offer planeside luggage check because overhead bins fill up. Unless you’re suggesting that this completely supplant the current baggage check process, which, unless you’re planning to have a security checkpoint at every gate, will prevent people from taking in their luggage anything that they can’t take through security, so no more fishing/hunting trips, no more bottles of wine as gifts, etc. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Until the airlines stop charging $25 for checked bags, I will continue to only use carry on. It fits in the overhead, so if you don’t like it blame the airlines. I’d rather check it than carry it on but I am not paying an additional $25, especially when that fee includes the possibility it may be lost. I do blame the airlines, but I wonder if things would change at this point if the airlines went back to not charging. I say this on the basis of a recent flight with Southwest, which lets you check up to 2 bags free, on which it seemed the vast majority of people carried-on their luggage. I suspect people are so used to the routine of carrying on their luggage that they’re loath to change it, especially since flying has become such a commodity, and nowadays you can print out your boarding pass beforehand or display it on your phone, so a lot of people like being able to walk into the airport and directly up to the security checkpoint, without stopping at ticketing/checkin, and also to walk off the plane and right out of the airport without stopping at baggage claim. Also I’m aware the fear of lost luggage is very strong in many people. I suspect the chance of that is grossly exaggerated, as I’ve been doing a lot of flying the past few years and have never had my luggage lost, though I’m aware that by saying that I’m probably opening the floodgates of innumerable anecdotes about the time people’s luggage got lost and what a disaster it was. Also, this might seem like a waste of $50 for a round trip, but I really like being able to just throw my regular bottle of shampoo, tube of toothpaste, can of shaving cream, etc. in my suitcase and just go, instead of having to keep buying all those travel size things. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/93 "2015-12-16T03:20:51Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > For the most part, the airlines don’t want the gatekeepers confronting guests with oversize bags. Additional problem is that different plane configurations can accommodate different-sized bags, so larger carry-ons don’t qualify for every flight (even within the same airline), but the customer saying that their carry on fits “is always right”. I dunno - I just know that from Changi Airport, the size check thingy is standard across the airport, and I have never taken a flight where I haven’t had storage above or opposite my seat. Airlines here are known to enforce the carry on rules. There is only the one time where I carried on around 70 kilos of luggage in 3 huge backpacks, plus our carry on (international connecting to domestic was late, they held the plane for us and gave us a bulkhead seat, three people travelling) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/94 "2015-12-16T13:08:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > A minor one, but I’m annoyed when the person in the seat behind me uses my seatback to help them stand up. > > Perhaps it’s because I’m not tall but I’m mystified at people who are annoyed when the person in front reclines his/her seat. When they do so, the part of their seat nearest to your knees moves not at all while the part closest to your head moves about two or three inches. I don’t want to be on the same flight as you. I simply cannot get up without pulling myself up on the back of the seat in front of me. Have a bit of patience for 10 seconds. When the person (I use the word advisedly) in front of me puts their seat back, it cramps my knee for the whole flight, not a minor discomfort for ten seconds. So go back to your cave. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/95 "2015-12-16T14:40:06Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > …I don’t care that you, personally, bring a suitcase on board; I care that bringing luggage on board has become the norm to the extent that everybody does it. All those suitcases add up, and also, with the overhead bins completely filling up, many people don’t get a spot directly over their own seat, necessitating a lot of moving around during the loading/unloading process, which holds up the entire line. I almost always DO get a spot near me. Usually above my head. There aren’t that many flights where there is significant luggage-tetris going on. > [@Arcite](#): > > …I do blame the airlines, but I wonder if things would change at this point if the airlines went back to not charging. I say this on the basis of a recent flight with Southwest, which lets you check up to 2 bags free, on which it seemed the vast majority of people carried-on their luggage. I suspect people are so used to the routine of carrying on their luggage that they’re loath to change it, especially since flying has become such a commodity, and nowadays you can print out your boarding pass beforehand or display it on your phone, so a lot of people like being able to walk into the airport and directly up to the security checkpoint, without stopping at ticketing/checkin, and also to walk off the plane and right out of the airport without stopping at baggage claim. Also I’m aware the fear of lost luggage is very strong in many people. I suspect the chance of that is grossly exaggerated, as I’ve been doing a lot of flying the past few years and have never had my luggage lost, though I’m aware that by saying that I’m probably opening the floodgates of innumerable anecdotes about the time people’s luggage got lost and what a disaster it was… Carrying luggage is’t a new thing. It got LESS common after 9/11, with all the new restrictions on what you can carry on. I am in my 50s, and have flown since I was a babe-in-arms. I almost never checked a bag prior to 9/11. > [@Arcite](#): > > …Also, this might seem like a waste of $50 for a round trip, but I really like being able to just throw my regular bottle of shampoo, tube of toothpaste, can of shaving cream, etc. in my suitcase and just go, instead of having to keep buying all those travel size things. I was happy to discover that it’s actually quite easy to re-fill the travel-sized toothpaste tube. (Put it end-to-end with a regular tube.) I also bought a small bottle of shampoo that is easy to refill. I travel a lot, and like having a “travel set” of toiletries that live in my overnight case (or post 9/11, in a zip-lock bag that I store on top of my overnight case), and that I can grab in one piece, quickly, when I pack. I guess I don’t ever take shaving cream when I travel. I can see that being a nuisance. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I don’t want to be on the same flight as you. > > I simply cannot get up without pulling myself up on the back of the seat in front of me. Have a bit of patience for 10 seconds. > > When the person (I use the word advisedly) in front of me puts their seat back, it cramps my knee for the whole flight, not a minor discomfort for ten seconds. > > So go back to your cave. Yeah, I’m with Hari on this. Both that I find it hard to get up without leaning on the seat, because my body is contorted at such an odd angle in the seat, and also that you will make me miserable if you recline. Maybe my knees sit higher than yours, as well as sticking out farther. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/96 "2015-12-16T14:43:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps it’s because I’m not tall but I’m mystified at people who are annoyed when the person in front reclines his/her seat. When they do so, the part of their seat nearest to your knees moves not at all while the part closest to your head moves about two or three inches. Happy to help fight your ignorance. You’re not just annoying taller folks, you are making them miserable. We already have to jam our knees into the metal bits that hold the in-flight magazine pouch in place, and when you recline the seat all the way back it shifts everything into even less pleasant angles. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/97 "2015-12-16T14:48:43Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > A minor one, but I’m annoyed when the person in the seat behind me uses my seatback to help them stand up. > > Perhaps it’s because I’m not tall but I’m mystified at people who are annoyed when the person in front reclines his/her seat. When they do so, **the part of their seat nearest to your knees moves not at all** while the part closest to your head moves about two or three inches. Bolding mine… I have never been on a plane with seats designed that way. In regular economy, my kness are perhaps 1/2 inch from the seat in front of me. When they recline, every seat I’ve ever seen crushes my knees. Thank god for economy plus. The extra 5 inches or so that is becoming more available is a life saver. Note to those that grab the back of the seat - the aisle arm rests do swing up. There is usually a small button underneath towards the back where it does hinge. It’s hidden. Swinging that up makes it much easier to swing your legs into the aisle and stand. Also a lot of planes have a sort of hand/finger rail built into the overhead carry-on compartments. It runs the length of the plane right beneath where the latch and where the door closes. Grab that instead of the seat in front of you. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/98 "2015-12-16T15:08:16Z")
I can’t believe nobody has yet complained about the gate scrum! Look, you know your ass is in Zone 4, sit the fuck down! There is nothing to be gained by milling around! The whole plane goes to the same place! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/99 "2015-12-16T15:16:28Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > There is nothing to be gained by milling around! The closer you are to the back of the last zone, the more likely it is that there will be no more overhead space on a full plane. If the airline starts asking for volunteers to accept a free baggage check, that’s my cue to start milling about near the gate. I always pay to check my suitcase, even if it would fit in the overhead. I do this because I’m tall and need the extra space under the seat in front of me for my feet, so I want to make sure I can put my computer bag up there. The computer bag also helps cut out a defined space for my CPAP bag (which is soft-sided) and keeps neighboring luggage from smashing into it in the overhead. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241/100 "2015-12-16T19:05:28Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I can’t believe nobody has yet complained about the gate scrum! Look, you know your ass is in Zone 4, sit the fuck down! There is nothing to be gained by milling around! The whole plane goes to the same place! This is another of my pet peeves that’s actually caused by the airline’s discouraging of checked luggage by charging for it, because as Johnny Bravo said, it’s caused by people jockeying for overhead bin space. Still, even without that factor, it seems people prefer to board as early as possible, which mystifies me. Look at the fact that first class boards first. Why? I prefer to get on the plane as _late_ as possible. I wait for them to start the boarding process, then run to the men’s room, and often miss my zone, which I’m fine with. The earlier you board, the longer you have to sit still in a confined space. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-airline-passenger-habits/740241.md?page=6)