Most Annoying Things People Do on Airplanes

Reclining seat fully back without warning

Turns your knees into a crash pad and your laptop into a pretzel.

Annoyance Level: 9/10How Often It Happens: 8/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Taking off shoes and socks, feet on armrest or wall

Nobody boarded a plane to smell your bare feet.

Annoyance Level: 9/10How Often It Happens: 6/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Loud phone calls or speakerphone videos

The whole cabin does not need to hear your FaceTime or TikTok audio.

Annoyance Level: 8/10How Often It Happens: 7/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Boarding/Cruise

added by IJR

Hogging both armrests (manspreading included)

Territorial expansion at 35,000 feet, one elbow at a time.

Annoyance Level: 7/10How Often It Happens: 8/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Standing up and blocking the aisle the second wheels touch down

Everyone's equally stuck, yet everyone stands like it'll help.

Annoyance Level: 7/10How Often It Happens: 9/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Landing

added by IJR

Overhead bin hogging with oversized carry-ons

One giant suitcase, zero room for the other 150 passengers.

Annoyance Level: 7/10How Often It Happens: 7/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Boarding

added by IJR

Kicking or bouncing the seat in front repeatedly

A tiny tremor that turns your seatback into a jackhammer target.

Annoyance Level: 8/10How Often It Happens: 5/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Unruly, unsupervised children running wild

Cute in small doses, chaos when parents check out entirely.

Annoyance Level: 7/10How Often It Happens: 6/10Easily Avoidable?: —Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Slow boarding while blocking the aisle

Standing frozen mid-aisle rearranging a bag while 30 people wait.

Annoyance Level: 6/10How Often It Happens: 8/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Boarding

added by IJR

Eating loud or smelly food

Tuna salad at 30,000 feet is a crime against recycled cabin air.

Annoyance Level: 6/10How Often It Happens: 5/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Coughing or sneezing without covering up

A tiny metal tube is the last place you want a germ free-for-all.

Annoyance Level: 8/10How Often It Happens: 5/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Any

added by IJR

Drunk or disruptive passengers

Free drinks plus turbulence equals a viral video waiting to happen.

Annoyance Level: 9/10How Often It Happens: 3/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Window shade disputes

One person's nap darkness is another's sunrise photo op — war ensues.

Annoyance Level: 5/10How Often It Happens: 6/10Easily Avoidable?: —Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Talking loudly across the aisle the entire flight

A cheerful, unstoppable conversation you never consented to hear.

Annoyance Level: 6/10How Often It Happens: 5/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Excessive perfume or cologne

A cloud of fragrance that reaches row 30 before the person does.

Annoyance Level: 6/10How Often It Happens: 4/10Easily Avoidable?: ✓Typical Flight Phase: Boarding

added by IJR

Constantly getting up, forcing others to move

The aisle-seat squeeze dance, performed every twenty minutes.

Annoyance Level: 5/10How Often It Happens: 5/10Easily Avoidable?: —Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR

Snoring loudly right after takeoff

Falls asleep in five minutes flat and serenades the whole row.

Annoyance Level: 5/10How Often It Happens: 4/10Easily Avoidable?: —Typical Flight Phase: Cruise

added by IJR