United, Delta, and American Airlines flight attendants reveal the 9 most annoying things passengers do during flights

01.01.2020 23:57

airplane passenger headphones EyesWideOpen/Getty Images

Business Insider asked eight flight attendants about the most annoying things passengers do.
The flight attendants work for six commercial airlines and a company that charters private jets.
They gave answers ranging from ignoring seat assignments to leaving a huge mess.
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Flight attendants have a lot of responsibilities in the air, a fact some passengers don't seem to realize.

To make matters worse, some passengers act as if their preferences are more important than everyone else's by ignoring their seat assignments, keeping their headphones in when flight attendants ask for their drink order, or clipping their nails at their seat.

These are the nine most annoying things airline passengers do, according to interviews Business Insider conducted with eight flight attendants. The flight attendants were granted anonymity due to a fear of reprisal from their employers.

Keeping their headphones in during beverage service

EyesWideOpen/Getty Images

"One of the most annoying things is definitely when they have their headphones in when you're coming to offer them their snacks and their drinks," a Delta Air Lines flight attendant said. "You're repeating stuff or saying things to the row over and over."

Being impatient about getting rid of trash

trindade.joao / Creative Commons

"I've never seen people just be so adamant, like, I need to get this out of my hands to the point where they're almost tossing it at you, or they're walking all the way to the back of the plane to hand you their trash," the Delta flight attendant said.

Not obeying the seat belt light

Karin Hildebrand Lau/Shutterstock

"I think the biggest one for me is when people don't take the seat belt sign seriously," a United Airlines flight attendant said.

"It's one thing for a grown woman or a grown man to stand up and — you've got to do what you've got to do, if you've got to go to the bathroom or something. But a lot of times, it will be pretty bumpy and they'll let their two-year-old or their four-year-old just stand up and wander around the aircraft. That, to me, is not OK. Not only are you not listening, but you're putting your kid at risk."

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