MAP REVEALS STATES WITH AMERICA'S RUDEST PLANE PASSENGERS
There are plenty of stressful things about going on vacation, from rushing to catch a flight to forgetting your passport. Sometimes, it is the other travelers themselves that cause problems.
A new survey of 2,002 travelers, carried out by Solitaire Bliss, suggests some states are worse than others for poor traveling etiquette, with residents in Iowa, Illinois, and Virginia most likely to commit naughty travel behaviors.
However, residents in Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida were found to be the best at being behaved.
The research has unearthed some of the most annoying behaviors by people traveling, like reclining their plane seats back without asking, passing gas, or going barefoot in public.
For the study, the company asked Americans in every state which behaviors they had witnessed while traveling, which behavior they considered the worst, and which airline they associate most with these behaviors.
Data from Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming were omitted because there were not enough respondents from those states to include in the data pool.
Each state was given points on a scale of 0 to 100 that correlated with the responses to the behaviors Americans were guilty of doing themselves. The states with the highest scores were the worst behaved.
Iowa was found to be the worst-behaved state, with a score of 94.29 out of 100, followed by Illinois, which was given 89.81. Virginia came in third with a score of 88.85 out of 100.
In comparison, Arkansas—given a score of 54.58—was found to have the best-behaved travelers, followed by Alabama which got 55.85. Florida was given a "naughty travel habits score" of 60.77.
Around 38 percent of people surveyed said they had reclined their seat without asking, while 51 percent said they had put their bags on seats in the airport terminal. A further 62 percent said they had ignored the fasten seatbelt sign and 64 percent said they had pushed on the seat in front of them.
One in three Americans said they had passed gas while flying, while one in eight said they had witnessed a physical confrontation on the plane.
Other behaviors that affected fellow travelers included stealing both armrests and hanging legs in aisles.
Overall, 78% of those surveyed feel airline etiquette has declined in recent years, with Spirit Airlines the most likely carrier to be associated with bad behavior.
The survey found Gen Zers are the most likely generation to commit "naughty" travel behaviors–or at least admit to them.
Poor behavior among fellow passengers can be very stressful and potentially ruin a vacation. According to a separate study, the 2023 Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey, loud, rude conduct and disrespectful or entitled behavior by tourists infuriate fellow travelers.
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2024-06-12T18:56:23Z