Which is worse? The inconsiderate passenger reclining into your face for an entire flight or the out of control child running amok in the cabin? Editors at AirlineRatings.com, the world’s first safety, and product rating website, have listed its 10 worst passenger types with the seat recliner and the inconsiderate parent topping the list as the most hated. Now we want to know what tops our viewer’s lists. Select your choice here Click here to take survey
Geoffrey Thomas Editor and founder of Airlineratings.com said that “it was a tossup between parents that think their 200 fellow passengers are babysitters or the thoughtless passengers who recline into your space from takeoff to landing.”
These two passengers have been dubbed Parentus Slapdashii and Reclinus Maximus.
“Of course we all feel for the mother with the crying baby and we can always put a headset on to reduce the impact but it’s the children running amok and kicking your seat that angers fellow passengers.”
“However Reclinus just wins according to our editor survey.”
Various global surveys back up the airlineratings.com worst passengers picks.
“One by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper found that nearly 70 percent of travelers would be prepared to pay more for a child-free cabin which underscores the problem of the irresponsible parent,” said Mr Thomas.
“Responding to that Malaysian Airlines and Air AsiaX have both moved to child-free zones in the past 18 months.”
Another growing problem passenger is Smellus Incredibilus.
“There is no doubt that personal hygiene on planes is in decline and typically “Smellus” will also leave the toilets in a mess,” said Mr Thomas
Next on the list is Armrest Grabbis who hogs the armrests and typically he has become more of the problem as passengers get larger.
Chatticus Majorus makes up the top five and it seems no matter what you do if Chatticus wants to talk you are in for a long and boring trip!
Making number 6 is Bladder Incredibilus who some bizarre reason always seems to request the window seat. Bladder not only affects the passengers in the same row but also the ones in front as he or she inevitably uses the seatbacks as a steadier.
At number 7, often you can’t decide whether Carry-on Greedicus is stupid, arrogant or just plain inconsiderate. Maybe he’s all three.
Greedicus is typically seated in row 30 or 40 but he thoughtlessly
— particularly in the US — dumps his carry-on bag which is way too
big or too heavy or both in row 2’s overhead bin, rather than carry it
all the way down the back.
This of course causes chaos for passengers boarding after him.
Holding down number eight position is High-and-Mighticus, who is almost always bathed in self glory. This tiresome traveler sees the overhead reading light more as a spotlight on their own special opening night stage rather than as reading aids.
You will often hear Mighticus demanding before you see him and that tone will continue all flight.
At number nine DVT – Avoidus would be funny if they were not so irritating.
A real tell-tale sign of this trait is the traveler going through their yoga or tai chi routine in the boarding lounge.
Once on board, they spend the entire trip doing arm stretches and leg raisers bumping the back of your seat or elbowing you in the head or shoulder.
The final irritating passenger is “Window Hoggus” who takes the window seat and immediately after take-off pulls down the window shade and goes to sleep denying fellow passengers a view.
And there is a dark side to these characters’ thoughtlessness in that it fuels air rage.
“It is impossible to get accurate figures but one reliable estimate puts the air rage incidents count in the US alone as 10,000 a year,” said Mr Thomas.
Extrapolated across the globe the number of air rage incidents could top 40,000 a year.
“Another survey of frequent flyers found that 37 per cent occasionally felt a sense of rage on a flight,” said Mr Thomas.
And it’s no longer just one passenger causing grief.
Last month US airline Air Tran off loaded 100 school children and their chaperones, after a number refused to turn their mobiles off and sit down.
