Culture

The Most Annoying Things About Air Travel

Updated June 14, 2019 3.4k votes 498 voters

List Rules

Includes specific things that really irk you while you are in the process of traveling on an airplane

If you've had the pleasure of traveling by plane, you understand the humor in the first part of this sentence. Traveling by plane is not a pleasurable experience by any means. What are the worst things about flying? We've created a list of some of the most annoying things about airplanes, airports, and the people you're forced to share the experience with.

As airlines continue to evolve into money-hungry, leg-squishing nightmare factories that create a travel experience comparable to transporting livestock, the traveling experience as a whole declines. Air travel was once a privilege and a luxury, but it has become a chore and an exercise in discomfort. Want some pretzels while you read? Too bad! Hoping to stretch your legs at some point during that 20-hour flight to Hong Kong? Think again! If there are two things airlines are particularly good at, it's getting you where you need to go and making you miserable along the way.

Long lines, grumpy adults, crying babies, and uncomfortable seating arrangements all join forces the minute you step into an airport to test your durability, your character, and your sense of humor. Vote up the worst experiences on this list of the most annoying things about airplanes and airports. Just try not to cringe as you think about your next vacation.

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list ordered by

1
Seats Are Getting Smaller in Width AND Pitch (We're Looking at You, United Airlines)
2
When You Board a Plane Only to Sit on the Runway for Two More Hours... WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING
3
That Parent Who Doesn't Stop Their Kid Kicking Your Seat the Entire Flight
4
Paying a Crazy Price to Fly and Then Paying an Additional Price for Your Freaking Suitcases
5
That Passenger Who Boards the Plane Sick... Then Sneezes and Coughs the Whole Flight
6
Paying Insanely High Rates for Tickets and Not Even Getting a Damn Bag of Peanuts OR Pretzels
7
The Person Who Brings Stinky Food Onto the Plane
8
The Neighbor That Aggressively Claims the Armrest
9
When ANYONE Near You Has to Use Their Barf Bag
10
When There's a Last Minute Gate Change and You Have to Run Through the Airport Like a Maniac
11
People That Hold up the Security Line Because They Don't Understand the Contraband List
12
When You Can't Get Your Ears to Pop on the Way Up or the Way Down
13
Couples Who Book The Aisle and Window Seats then Get Mad at You for Having To Sit in the Middle
14
Babies Crying on the Plane (They Can't Help It but That Doesn't Make It Less Annoying)
15
Trying to Squeeze All of Your Stuff Into the Bathroom Stall When You're Traveling Alone
16
No Water Bottles Allowed... As if Flying Isn't Dehydrating Enough Already
17
When You're "Randomly" Selected for a Secondary Security Screening
18
That Person Who Takes Ten Minutes to Organize Their Security Trays
19
Being Forced to Check Your Bag Because There's No More Overhead Bin Space
20
Airport Police in the Arrivals Terminal Who Yell at You the Second You Pull Over to Pick up a Passenger
21
When Some Jerk Boxes You out of Your Spot at Baggage Claim and You Miss Your Suitcase
22
The Neighbor Who Should Be Flying First Class Because They Don't Fit in Standard Seating
23
Flight Attendants Who Are Annoyed With You for Asking Questions
24
When Security Makes You Separate Your Already-Separated Ziploc Bag of Toiletries
25
Being Over Six Feet Tall and Trying to Fit in Those Ridiculously Small Seats

Seats Are Getting Smaller in Width AND Pitch (We're Looking at You, United Airlines)

When You Board a Plane Only to Sit on the Runway for Two More Hours... WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING

That Parent Who Doesn't Stop Their Kid Kicking Your Seat the Entire Flight

Paying a Crazy Price to Fly and Then Paying an Additional Price for Your Freaking Suitcases

That Passenger Who Boards the Plane Sick... Then Sneezes and Coughs the Whole Flight

Paying Insanely High Rates for Tickets and Not Even Getting a Damn Bag of Peanuts OR Pretzels

The Person Who Brings Stinky Food Onto the Plane

The Neighbor That Aggressively Claims the Armrest

When ANYONE Near You Has to Use Their Barf Bag

When There's a Last Minute Gate Change and You Have to Run Through the Airport Like a Maniac

People That Hold up the Security Line Because They Don't Understand the Contraband List

When You Can't Get Your Ears to Pop on the Way Up or the Way Down

Couples Who Book The Aisle and Window Seats then Get Mad at You for Having To Sit in the Middle

Babies Crying on the Plane (They Can't Help It but That Doesn't Make It Less Annoying)

Trying to Squeeze All of Your Stuff Into the Bathroom Stall When You're Traveling Alone

No Water Bottles Allowed... As if Flying Isn't Dehydrating Enough Already

When You're "Randomly" Selected for a Secondary Security Screening

That Person Who Takes Ten Minutes to Organize Their Security Trays

Being Forced to Check Your Bag Because There's No More Overhead Bin Space

Airport Police in the Arrivals Terminal Who Yell at You the Second You Pull Over to Pick up a Passenger

When Some Jerk Boxes You out of Your Spot at Baggage Claim and You Miss Your Suitcase

The Neighbor Who Should Be Flying First Class Because They Don't Fit in Standard Seating

Flight Attendants Who Are Annoyed With You for Asking Questions

When Security Makes You Separate Your Already-Separated Ziploc Bag of Toiletries

Being Over Six Feet Tall and Trying to Fit in Those Ridiculously Small Seats