I’ve taken 30 airplane flights this year with few travel pet peeves rearing their ugly heads.
The flights have really gone very well. No terrible delays or missed flights, no viral video-worthy events. I am grateful that I’ve had hard working flight crews doing their jobs successfully and happily.
But after taking 12 flights in June, I am aware of a few airline travel pet peeves. And I have a few tips for fellow travelers that might help.
Here are my summer airline travel pet peeves in ascending order, the most annoying at the end.
5. Parents letting their kids play their digital games at full volume. Those beeps and the tinny music set my nerves on edge. There are headphones made for kids that would really help everyone around them. It’s hard enough to travel with kids, I know, but please think of your fellow passengers. These might be good : Children’s Headphones
4. The person behind me grabbing my seat to haul him/herself out of their seat to stand up. I know you don’t realize that you are giving me whiplash when you pull on my seat, so think about it first. I know space is tight, but my seat is not a grab bar. Please use the armrests to push yourself up.
3.Pungent carry on food. We all have to eat, but the fast food burgers and pizza smell so strong sometimes. Have a heart and make it a salad or sandwich. You could use an app like GateGuru to figure out appropriate food and drink to take on board.
2. People not being ready to get off the plane when it’s their turn. Everyone wants to get off the plane quickly. While people who immediately stand up in the aisle can be annoying, at least they are ready to go when their turn comes. It’s the ones who stand up and block the aisle but still are gathering stuff from their seat, before they even start to get their luggage out of the overhead bin, that make deplaning more of a chore. When the plane lands and is headed to the gate, please start getting organized to get off the plane. (Thanks to Milinda S for this timely tip!)
And my top airline travel pet peeve:
- People not putting their phones in airplane mode. I am seeing this more and more on every flight. Flight attendants make the announcement to put devices into airplane mode, but no one pays attention. They just keep Facebooking and texting. I saw one guy swiping left and right across pictures of women in swimsuits. Flight attendants don’t really police this either, unless it is easily seen. The rule follower and former teacher in me just wants to lean over and tell those people to follow directions, for heaven’s sake.
So why are people supposed to put their devices into airplane mode? Wikipedia has some information about how mobile phone usage can interfere with navigation and communication systems. The consensus seems to be that newer devices on planes don’t really interfere with navigation systems so much as they do interfere with the radio-based communications between pilots and ground towers.
This article from Quora.com explains that cell phones are always looking for the next cell tower and if your cell phone is traveling 500 mph and several miles above the Earth, it has to continuously boost its signal to search for and connect to the towers, which it can’t really do since you are too far from the towers. This creates radio signal pollution that could disrupt the necessary communications systems on the plane. It also drains your phone battery much faster.
Have you ever heard the buzzing or screeching noises when a microphone is too close to another device? Or when your phone is next to a radio? Imagine being a pilot and hearing that in your headphones while you are trying to get directions from air traffic control. Not life threatening, perhaps, but definitely annoying. I certainly don’t want to make my pilots’ jobs more difficult when I want to get to my destination safely.
I like the end of the Quora.com article, which says, “It is common courtesy. By switching your phone to airplane mode you show your appreciation to the people doing their job to get you where you want to be.”
Planes are crowded and just about everything about travel is a hassle nowadays. Let’s all try and show more common courtesy and we will all make it to our destination in a happier frame of mind.
Do you have any more travel pet peeves? Would love to hear them!
