Top In-Flight Irritations Revealed!

We’ve all been there, stuck on a long-haul flight with something – it could be anything – niggling away at us and really making it the journey from hell. The relief when the plane touches down and you can escape on your holiday of a lifetime!

But what annoys one person won’t prove irritating for someone else… and now GoCompare Travel has just revealed what the biggest in-flight irritations for holidaymakers are, which might well prove enlightening reading for some.

The top ten irritations were found to be having your seatback kicked, drunk passengers, sitting next to a passenger with a hygiene problem, unruly or crying children, paying for expensive plane food, sitting beside an armrest hogger, rude cabin crew, full overhead lockers, sitting next to someone chatty and noise emanating from other people’s headphones or mobile devices.

Despite these annoyances, the price comparison site’s Martyn John did say: “Over time we’ve found people’s annoyance levels have dropped significantly, so perhaps we’re gradually learning not to sweat the small stuff when we’re on our holidays, or showing a little more regard for other people when flying.

“It’s hard to tell whether in the last four years the things that have the potential to annoy us have either diminished or we’ve just accepted it’s all part of the flying experience. Hopefully a combination of more consideration and greater tolerance will make everyone’s flight a little less turbulent.”

No doubt you have a family holiday coming up this year and with crying and unruly children heading up the list of in-flight irritations, planning ahead for this could be a wise move. The key – as you’re sure to know if you have young children yourself – is all in the preparation. You don’t want to forget Sophie the Giraffe, or leave the travel baby changing mat behind and suddenly find that all hell breaks loose!

Before you make your way to the airport, write out a checklist of absolutely everything that your little ones will need to make sure the journey runs as smoothly as possible. Toys, books, favourite teddies, comforters and more should be included in this list. Once it’s written up, go through it and check everything off as you add it to the baby bag or your hand luggage so you know that you’ve not forgotten anything.

There’s nothing worse than feeling in a panic at the airport and having to go through all your bags to find that precious something your kid needs then and there. You want to enjoy your trip away and not feel stressed out at any point – the opposite of what going on holiday is all about!

If you’re stuck for ideas, check out our recent blog post of just some of the apps you could download before you fly to keep them well amused. Or if you’re really worried, perhaps go on a staycation this year and hop on board a plane when your kids are a bit older.