When Traveling on An Airplane...25 Pet Peeves When Traveling
25 Pet Peeves When Traveling
The couple of million miles flown has certainly taught me a great deal…you know, the different cultures, so many wonderful people, aahhhhh!
I have also learned how interesting people are when they
travel. The Buddhist in me tries so hard
not to be judgmental and “label” people,
but these twenty-five attributes are what I’ve come across in all my years of
traveling. Make sure you read my bonus
one at the end of this. If there's anyone out there that sees I've forgotten something, please add to the list by all means.
Not that I ever pay attention, but…
25) Let me squeeze outta here!
Those passengers that insist on grabbing the seat in front of them as they move into and out of their own seat. And I don’t mean older people or individuals with disabilities who need to use the seats to hold them up.
There are no excuses (other than the one mentioned above) no matter what class of service. What gets me though are those people who still do it in Business and in First Class where there are tons of room.
Whilst we are on this one, might as well add those who have to shake your seat while they shove things into their front pocket or close their tray tables like animals, making your head jerk.
24) The Mile-High Club-Cardholders (or anything pertaining around this subject)
Since this is a family-oriented blog, you know what is meant. I've got nephews and nieces who love to read Uncle Georgie's blog...
23) The SPRAYERS
How can anyone, ANYONE, spray anything on a flight? This includes hair spray (yes, I have seen this done, before landing on a flight from Brussels to Chicago), cologne (which is absolutely disgusting and will be discussed further in detail later) and the BEST, nail polish!
22) Don’t my feet smell FABULOUS?
I was on a Chicago – London flight and I couldn’t understand where this horrid foot odor was coming from. Was it me (did I have foot odor)? Was it the person next to me?
No, it was the person behind me – he propped his smelly feet (without shoes) on the back of my armrest. It was disgusting. I pointed it out to my seat partner so she wouldn’t think it was me…her response: “I was wondering who that was…”
Oh yeah, really pretty…fragrance is the actual oils evaporating from your skin. When you are up in the air, these oils leave much quicker from your skin and therefore smell differently.
There have been numerous times where the person next to me had put too much fragrance on – men and women – where it sickened me. This is unacceptable. There are also those who had body odor, like they had not bathed in years.
20) Chatty Cathy
Blah, blah, blah – the moment you sit in your seat, the chit-chat begins. Certain cues – if I am trying to read my book, if I put my headphones on, if I put my eye mask on, I want to be left alone. Hey sometimes you meet someone great and talk the entire flight – it makes the time go by quickly. MOST of the time silence is golden.
Being 6’4’’, I don’t like the window seat, I need to have my knees and legs free. This includes the bulkhead (the wall in front of me). So I call ahead and get all my seats chosen, sometimes a few months in advance.
When I get to my seat, there is someone already sitting in it asking me if he can switch my aisle seat with his window seat. I very nicely tell this person it can’t be done. However, it leaves this icky energy lingering in the air.
18) Oh I am SO sorry!
The passengers have just gotten up to get their things after the plane reached the gate. I open the overhead bin only to have someone’s jug of water (which wasn’t properly closed) spill on half my body. I had to run to catch my trans-Atlantic flight with a water-soaked sock.
Have you ever been wet on an airplane? Why do people insist on having loose items that may fall out? I don’t mean jackets and coats, I mean computers and other things, like jugs of water.
17) I like it LOUD baby!
The person next to me is listening to his music to the point where I can’t think. Or the person who keeps “clicking” their deck of cards or “tap tap tap” on the computer keyboard….what’s up with that?
You know traveling is stressful as it is. How about those people that get on an airplane only to start an argument with the flight attendant or with a fellow passenger. Do you think the rest of us want to hear that rubbish?
15) The cheap One
I have noticed so many times when I curbside check-in my bag, some don’t tip…hey buddy, if you don’t want your luggage to end up in Cape Town while off you go on your way to Cleveland, give them something for helping you out!
If I am in a seat – in any class of service – I have a right to recline the seat back as far as it will go, just as much as you have the same right.
So many times I see a passenger tell the person in front of them not to put their seat back. This is unacceptable.
13) Metal Detectors
Now, if you know you are going through security, don’t you think you would have everything in your purse or briefcase/carry-on? It always amazes me people go through these machines emptying out their pockets, belts, shoes, and still forgetting something.
12) Whiner
This I have seen so many times. The passenger arguing with the TSA’s asking them why do they have to take their shoes off, or why can’t they take their mother’s knife on board with them.
11) Diaper Changer
This I can’t understand! Yes, someone changing a diaper while in-flight, usually right in front of where I am sitting. The smell permeated the entire cabin. The flight attendant scolded her – the mother responded with that she feel like using the baby changer in the lavs.
Sit and wait when on-board service is commencing and see how many say “thank you.” Even better is to watch how many passengers order around the flight attendants. It’s sad.
Anyone who knows Star Wars, knows Jabba, the big HUGE green thing. This is the passenger, regardless of weight, who just spills onto your space with their arms, newspaper, bags, etc.
8) The Smasher
The one who has twenty pieces of carry-on with him and smashes his bag into the overhead bin above my seat. This guy does it without any regard for my suit jacket he just shoved to the itty bitty corner of the bin.
And then he tells me I shouldn’t have had it there in the first place.
If there are five lavs in a cabin on an trans-Oceanic flight, you would think people would be considerate for the next person.
So of us walk around in our sockies because our feet swell up, but that doesn’t stop people from “missing” the toilet now does it? OR those who don’t flush OR place something in it that won’t flush. Don’t get me started on how people leave the sink.
6) Last person to the airplane is a rotten egg!
Ah, how anxious are we to get on the plane? Those that push and shove and won’t allow others a moment to put the luggage up on the storage bin…or crawl over them. This sometimes just surprises me. Hey, we’re all leaving at the same time!
I had an old lady once on a flight from Chicago to Paris ask me to put her luggage in the overhead bin. I would never have thought she would be packing gold bricks. When I picked up the bag, it immediately threw my back out. The entire flight, I was in a great deal of pain.
4) Clipper and Brusher
YES! There have been times when people have CLIPPED their nails on many of flights! What’s up with that??! And then those who brush their hair – isn’t that just crazy?
There have been a couple of times where two people were just chatting away, their voices bouncing off the side of the cabin and echoing throughout the plane – even ear plugs wouldn’t help…and then every now and then the bellowing sounds of laughter! OH HO! HO! HO! HO!
Then the mommy and daddy who don’t
notice their excited-to-fly little one is kicking the seat (mine) in front of them, or bothering the passenger behind them. Now, I was a little you-know-what when I was
a young too, but I think parents should keep an eye out for their children’s
feet.
Many would now also place crying babies in this, but being an uncle, I know that there's nothing a parent can do when their newborn is crying. It is very discomforting for passengers, of course, but again, it's not intentional.
Do I need to hear a lawyer discuss his client’s problem? Do I need to know that so-and-so is in big trouble because he didn’t do something he was supposed to do? I never understand how people can talk on their cell phones on an airplane without a care that other are being forced to listen. Note the word FORCED.
Now, please, there are times when you have to make an emergency call or tell someone the flight is early/late, that’s acceptable. I’m talking about a full, loud conversation the entire cabin has to hear.
BONUS ONE
I had to include this one: passengers with some sort of neurotic behavior which affects others.
I was on a five-hour cross-country flight from Los Angeles to JFK when the man in front of me, about forty-years old, kept twirling his hair. I couldn’t sleep or read, I fixated on this issue…it was outta hand. On another flight from Chicago to Amsterdam, the gentleman in front of me kept picking at a scab on the back of his head.
pet peeves travel rude passengers plane ettiquette George Zaharoff misbehaving passengers Turbo Tagger
I have SO much disdain for the person who has to grab my seat to get back and forth from the bathroom. I agree with Mr. Z., I have no problem with the elderly or those with health challenges using my seat to support themselves. But, when you're an in shape 25 year old man...don't grab onto the back of my seat to push yourself forward to the lavatory. It's rude and incondsiderate. Remember, always be respectful of those around you so that they can be respectful of you. :-)
While most of this applies to airline travel I would like to share an experience with train travel. This holiday season my wife and I took Amtrak south to visit her family. It's about a 90 minute trip.
I always take a great deal of pride in being friendly to those around me and respectful of them and their personal space. On this trip I forgot to bring along my reading material. I noticed at the back of the car they had copies of "Travel Mall" (when flying it's labeled "Sky Mall"). The magazines were placed in a holder that resided overhead of two female passengers.
I approached their seats and made sure they were awake and not in the middle of anything important and kindly asked, "Would you mind if I reached over you to grab a magazine?" I waited not quite a full 3 seconds and neither one of them acknowledged me. Not a yes or a no was voiced. No eye contact was made with me. I waited half a second more and reached over to grab a magazine while saying, "Please excuse my reach." When the magazine was in my hands and I was out of personal body space I said, "Thank you. I apologize for the bother." Again, not a single response from either lady.
I would love to hear Mr. Zaharoff's thoughts and comments. Was I out of line or was in inexcusable of the women to not even acknowledge my request.
Thank you.
Gary, reaching above is different than reaching in front. In other words, there have been many a times there wasn't a magazine in my seat pocket. I would never imagine taking it from another occupied seat, but I wouldn't hesitate to ask the flight attendant to get me one. But in the cabin of the plane there are compartments where there are magazines (I've included a picture to show you, note the magazines are behind me, but above). That is a public space.
The only person you have to worry about is you. Why I say this is because you don't know what's going on with other people. In other words, Gary, you don't know if the people spoke English. You don't know if they were deaf...you just don't know.
If it is a public space, you don't need to ask for permission, an "excuse me" is enough and that is it. You would ask permission if what you wanted was in the seat pocket in front of them, that would be considered their personal space. "Are you using you copy of 'Travel Mall'?" and they would say, "I need my copy," or "sure here (and hand it to you)," or if they were to ignore you, then Gary, you would have to find another magazine somewhere else or get someone who works for the train.
Another situation is when you are at a movie theatre (or play or the opera) and you have to get to your seats. "Excuse me" is acceptable, but not a "pardon me" since you don't need to be pardoned to go to your seat...and a bonus - your back should be facing them as you go to your seat.
So, the "please exuse my reach" was acceptable, and maybe the "thank you" but you did not have to apologize bothering them because in a way you were not bothering them. You don't have to expect a response from them.
I hope this helps.
George
Mr. Z.,
Your response is greatly appreciated. Thank you for the wonderful insight. :-)