Travel What are your airport/airplane pet peeves?!

Number one pet peeve when I travel : People who constantly open the window when almost all the passengers are asleep. I mean, what in the world are you trying to see there? Can they be more considerate? Ooohhh, that really annoys me!

This is one of my pet peeves, too. When the cabin is pitch black and it's obvious people are sleeping and someone opens a window, lighting the whole cabin and keeping it that way. Their need to see is more important than the 100+ other people who want to sleep. Drives me crazy.
 
Most of them have been already listed, but I would like to add:

People giving me and my children the evil eye simply because we are on the same flight as them. No one's crying, no one's misbehaving- just that we are there is an offense :rolleyes:.

I just think people should reserve judgement until something actually happens.

I don't even have children and this bothers me as well. Sorry, but children will exist in the world, and sometimes you'll be inconvenienced. Get over it. If they're badly behaved, then yes that can drive you crazy, but especially if it's a young baby, what can you do, besides try and stop the crying?

We will live overseas in various countries for the next 15 years or so for my husband's work and we plan on having kids. I will appreciate those people that are understanding. And I'm not going to NOT fly back and see our family because my baby might bother someone. If it's bad parenting, that's one thing, but sometimes babies just cry, and sometimes even good kids act out. As long as the mom is doing what she can, it doesn't bother me. Life isn't always perfect.
 
it's a domino effect :shrugs: i don't recline my seat unless it's a long flight (and certainly not during meals) but if the person in front of me does it then i can't see my computer screen if i'm using it and it's either recline my seat or stop what i'm doing so that i don't inconvenience the person behind me (who can easily recline their own seat).

Sorry - let me clarify:

1) people who complain about the person in front of them reclining their seat but proceed to recline their own seat AFTER the person in front of them has returned their seat to upright position; and

2) people who complain about the person in front of them reclining their seat when their own seat is already reclined.

Totally was not talking about the domino effect which I completely understand.
 
Everybody has one! Let's share!!!:nuts:


  1. When airport security tells everyone to take their shoes off and everyone does it apart from 1 person, which holds up the line!
  2. People who abuse the carry on restrictions.
  3. People who put their junk in your overhead bin when they are sitting 6 rows down.
  4. People who insist on taking HUGE carry on's with them.
  5. Parents who allow their children to pull the wheelie carry on's. I would appreciate not having them pushed into me, thanks.
  6. Pushy people at baggage claim.
  7. Families who have every single member of their family at the baggage claim thing. Even 3'0 tall 2 year olds.
  8. Pushy passengers onboard flights I'm working on.
  9. Passengers that don't listen to things they are told.
  10. Passengers that go to the restroom when the fasten seatbelt sign has JUST been turned on.

LOL all of these things are annoying. I also hate the recycled air on airplanes... I'm a huge fresh air person and being on a plane just makes me feel like I can't breathe after awhile! Oh and I hate people who fly when they're really sick and cough and sneeze all over everything. Eeeeew germs! I now carry anti-bac gel with me and try to not touch anything unless I absolutely have to!
 
I don't even have children and this bothers me as well. Sorry, but children will exist in the world, and sometimes you'll be inconvenienced. Get over it. If they're badly behaved, then yes that can drive you crazy, but especially if it's a young baby, what can you do, besides try and stop the crying?

We will live overseas in various countries for the next 15 years or so for my husband's work and we plan on having kids. I will appreciate those people that are understanding. And I'm not going to NOT fly back and see our family because my baby might bother someone. If it's bad parenting, that's one thing, but sometimes babies just cry, and sometimes even good kids act out. As long as the mom is doing what she can, it doesn't bother me. Life isn't always perfect.

Although when babies cry, they are extremely annoying, I can only really complain about toddlers and such who get away with misbehaving, whilst their parents do nothing to correct their behaviour. Once, a small boy (who was behind me) shook my seat for a whole 30 seconds, then AFTER I turned around and gave him the evil eye, did his mother (who was sitting right next to him the whole time), apologise.
 
I generally love everything about flying but the things I hate:

Captain telling you about something important on the speaker like the refulling time when you can't hear him past engine noise and then you find out it was only 40 mins stop not 2 hrs like they originally said and the plane is waiting for you. It happened to me= not fun.

I always take the window seat and then people that get grumpy when you ask them to move once in the whole flight so you can go to the bathroom. If you take the aisle be prepared to move occasionally.

When the entertainment system breaks down.

When you get on the plane and realise you are going to spend the next 15 hours on the crappiest piece of metal the airline has not a big shiny new one.

When you get stuck next to a narccasistic passenger that will not shut up. I once had a girl sitting next to me called Paris and boy did she fit the stereotype. When she started out with " I just finished a year nannying in france and I don't like kids but I thought it would be like the sound of music" then you know you are in for a looooooong ride.

One time I was on a plane from London to Sydney which takes 23hrs. When we landed I was getting down my luggage and got down the walking stick of a 90 something year old man for him. Anyway this guy behind me goes ina really rude, sarcastic tone "can I get past now" I felt like saying you have just spent 23hrs on a plane and you can't wait for me to get down an old mans walking stick. We all know what the lines are like to get off the plane so he got about 1 foot ahead.

Here is a nice story though, once I had a really flamboyantly gay flight attendant and he asked me to put down my window because it was about to get bright out. So I quickly turn around and put it down to look up and he is walking away blowing kisses at me:lol:
 
Although when babies cry, they are extremely annoying, I can only really complain about toddlers and such who get away with misbehaving, whilst their parents do nothing to correct their behaviour. Once, a small boy (who was behind me) shook my seat for a whole 30 seconds, then AFTER I turned around and gave him the evil eye, did his mother (who was sitting right next to him the whole time), apologise.

I agree. It's frustrating when the parent won't do anything.
 
LOL all of these things are annoying. I also hate the recycled air on airplanes... I'm a huge fresh air person and being on a plane just makes me feel like I can't breathe after awhile! Oh and I hate people who fly when they're really sick and cough and sneeze all over everything. Eeeeew germs! I now carry anti-bac gel with me and try to not touch anything unless I absolutely have to!

I ended up going back to my fiancee's parents in Kansas for Christmas last year for a week...flew there healthy... got really sick when I was there..had to fly back home sick(covered my mouth..used tissues,etc, etc, etc)...I felt bad but what can you do...not go home on your scheduled flight?
I think sometimes things just happen...crying babies..sickness..etc...and can't be helped...patience is a good thing.:smile:
I probably caught the sickness on the flight there from recycled air..who knows..:amuse:
I think we are forced to tolerate some things because we are all so close together...either we have to do that or don't fly.:flowers:
 
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I do not really have any bad stories..

But I did sit next to a very drunk man all the way from Amsterdam to Chicago. I was travelling alone, and it was a looong trip..

Funny story about the immigration lines: There were two lines one said Americans and the other said "aliens".
My english is not that good, and in my world aliens=people from Mars ;)
But figured out that I was an alien... Who would have known? :P
 
Mostly it's just the oversized carry-on bags!!!! Oh, and people who don't know how to put their bags in the overhead bin. Wheels first! And if your bag doesn't fit in wheels first and you have to put it in sideways (thus taking up two spots) then your bag is TOO BIG!!!!
 
amateur flyers:
- they don't know how to get through security quickly (carry full size toiletries, don't take off jackets, etc...)
- they don't know the boarding process and they don't listen when the gate attendants explain the boarding process. i've seen many people try to board with first class when their boarding pass clearly shows they are boarding last.
- they don't know how to stow their luggage in the overhead bins. they put their suitcase sideways even when it would fit wheels first.

people who overpack their carry-on so that they can't lift them onto the overhead bin. then when pulling it out, they drop it on your head.

people who take up my foot space. i don't want your socks on my bag - specially when your feet stink

people who try to get off the plane first and won't let you through. then you see them headed to the luggage carousel to wait for their checked baggage!

flight attendants who just stand around and don't help people with their luggage during boarding because they're just "there for safety". i've flown asian airlines whose boarding process is totally unorganized but everyone is stowed and seated much faster than on any U.S. airlines. why? because flight attendants were positioned throughout the plane and they helped folks put luggage in the overhead bin. bonus: all the bags are positioned properly and no one passenger is hogging a bin.
 
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the baggage claim area is my biggest pet peeve! I'm not easily irritated but it's just so STUPID. Your baggage isn't going to come any faster if you stand in front of everyone else! haha! back off so us shorter people can see, right?
 
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