Travel experts reveal the things that most annoy fellow passengers

These are the things you shouldn’t do on a flight to avoid annoying your fellow passengers.

Travelling on a plane can be a stressful ordeal at the best of times.

Usually, there is a lack of room, people are tired, cranky and tensions can easily flare.

But travel experts have composed a list of things you should definitely avoid in order to keep the peace.

Not having your passport ready

According to Jane Frawley, who travels all the time, this is the one thing that makes her blood boil.

When people don’t have their passports by the time they get to the gate, it can slow up the entire boarding procedure, The Sun reported.

Writing on Escape, she said: ‘While you’re in transit, there are only three places your passport should be – in your hand; in the hands of an airline or customs official; or in a safe, easily accessible place in your luggage or clothes.

‘Mentally underline and highlight the last point.

‘Too many times I’ve seen people frantically patting their body down as if doing a deranged Macarena because they don’t know if their passport is in the side/top/middle/secret spot in their carry-on or the back/front/inside/hidden pocket of their jacket or pants.

‘Choose one place and stick to it.’

Talking to people

When people are wearing headphones, they are clearly demonstrating to other people that they do not want to speak.

According to Samantha Brown, you should absolutely avoid speaking to people wearing headphones unless it is absolutely necessary.

She said: ‘Airplanes can be great places to make a new friend – but only if both parties want to. If your seatmate has headphones in, don’t tap their shoulder and start talking. It’s a very clear ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign.’

Popping gum

Ms Brown has a method to stop people from loudly chewing gum on a plane, which can be annoying at the best of times.

She added: ‘If someone is popping their gum around you, start dramatically jumping every time it pops.

‘Hopefully, they notice and get the hint. If they don’t, turn and ask them to please stop.’

Parenting someone else’s kid

Children can be a nightmare on planes as when distressed they may start screaming or kicking your seat.

But Ms Brown said only the parent should be dealing with the child.

She said: ‘She said: ‘As tempting as it is to turn around and start scolding the kid kicking your seat; trust me, it’ll fall on deaf ears.

‘The best thing to do is to find the parent and nicely ask them to have their child stop.’

The travel expert said if this fails then the next step is to approach a flight attendant and have them deal with the problem instead.

Thanking only the pilot

According to flight attendant Erica L in Reader’s Digest, it is one of the biggest pet peeves of cabin crew and she urges people to thank the whole staff.

She said: ‘One of the most satisfying parts of my job is getting to say goodbye to passengers as they disembark, but it feels bad when they don’t even nod or wave in return.

‘Even worse is when they make sure to tell the pilot, ‘Thank you for a great flight,’ and then completely ignore those of us who did all the work to make it great for them.’

Flirting with staff

Writing on Reddit, a group of flight attendants said this is one of the things they hate the most.

One said: ‘My friend (who’s a flight attendant) always talks about how weird it is when passengers try to flirt with her.

‘A little bit is okay, but getting to the point of asking for her number and/or a date is just obnoxious.’

While a crew member added: ‘I agree with your friend! I was always creeped out when passengers would flirt with me and would do my best to shut it down quickly and politely.

‘We’re being paid to be friendly and professional, we smile at you because it’s our job, not because we want you to flirt with us.’

Getting drunk 

Even if you aren’t being aggressive, a drunk passenger can be very difficult to deal with.

You could end up passing out on someone’s shoulder, or have to constantly make people stand up as you go to the toilet for yet another trip as the booze shoots through you.

Martin Preston, Addiction Specialist, at Private Rehab Clinic Delamere, said: ‘Consuming alcohol on planes can also lead to a sense of confusion or brain fog.

‘Lower levels of air on planes can make us feel groggy and lethargic on its own, as the brain can be sensitive to lack of oxygen. 

‘However, when you couple this with alcohol, it can exasperate any problems related to this further, leading to feelings of tiredness, or impaired cognitive abilities.

We all know that drinking alcohol has the ability to impair judgement and lower inhibitions, so when we feel its effects more intensely or quickly on a plane, it may cause a person to become loud and disrespectful to crew members and other passengers on the plane.

‘Not only that but when inhibitions are lowered we have more trouble staying calm, meaning that drunken behaviour could lead to a confrontation or cause injury/harm to someone else.’