The 17 Most Annoying Types of Airplane Passengers

People who switch seats at the last minute caught the ire of 13% of respondents.

Also mentioned by 13% of those surveyed as a bad passenger was the 'single and ready to mingle' type. These are the ones who seem to think sitting on a plane is a good place to speed-date. Um, no.

The Mad Bladder is a passenger who sits next to the window but then gets up every five minutes to visit the loo. 24% of those surveyed found this to be a serious breach of onboard etiquette. Luckily, there is a solution: if you're in an aisle seat, you can offer to trade.

We all like to get comfortable when we're flying, but some people take it too far. Mentioned by 26 per cent of respondents, 'The Undresser' is the passenger who removes their shoes, socks and even more. Throw in stinky feet and you're in for an awful flight.

You know that couple sitting beside you that who can't keep their hands off each other? Those are 'The Amorous' and their inappropriate public displays of affection annoy 26% of fellow passengers. There's no point yelling 'get a room' as they'd likely only head to the bathroom… Ew.

People who have a hard time getting in and out of their seats behind you can drive you — and 27% of those surveyed — bonkers, especially if they make frequent trips to the bathroom. They can ruin your attempts at sleeping, and there's not much you can do about it. Almost as bad: the people who hammer the touch screen of their entertainment system in your seat back.

Mentioned by 30% of respondents are the passengers who bring smelly food onto a flight. Before you know it, the entire cabin is filled with a pungent aroma. Sadly, these violators of your olfactory space may not realize that they're making you nauseous (or hungry).

According to Expedia, more than 70 per cent of passengers stow their carry-on bag in the bin above their seat. But not all. There are those that think it's fine to store their bag in the first available spot and displace someone else. This bad behaviour was cited by 32 per cent of those surveyed.

Mentioned by 32% of respondents, seat reclining is a huge issue when flying — especially if you've got long legs or are pregnant. Expedia says that 32% of Americans would support banning reclining seats — but just 31% refuse to recline. Some people recline as a punishment if the person behind was being rude and roughly 10% recline no matter what.

Queue jumping bugs 35% of those surveyed. A queue jumper is the guy who jumps into the aisle and barges ahead so that he can be first off the plane. Enjoy those extra 30 seconds, jerk!

38% of respondents mentioned their displeasure at carry-on bag offenders. These are the people who bring more than their allotted allowance of carry-on bags. They don't seem to understand that a personal item is a purse or laptop bag, not a second carry-on. The good news is that airlines are really cracking down on this behaviour.

It's one thing to be pleasant and friendly; it's something else to talk someone's ear off. Chatty Cathy's were mentioned by 43% of those surveyed. Make sure you've got headphones handy and pop them on during a lull in the one-way conversation. You don't even have to listen to anything. Just enjoy the silence.

Drinking too much is another violation of airplane etiquette. 45 per cent of respondents cited 'The Boozer' as a highly annoying passenger. Your only hope is that they'll pass out.

Half of those surveyed can't stand people who are loud talkers or crank their headphones so loud that everyone can hear what they're listening to. The proliferation of smart phones and tablets has created a problem where people use them for entertainment and don't use headphones at all.

Maybe they just smoked a cigar. Perhaps they don't know how strong their perfume/aftershave is. Or maybe they didn't bother to shower this month, but no matter the cause, 50% of respondents think that people who stink, stink. People who smell are the third most disliked type of passenger.

Kids are going to be kids, but 59% of those surveyed will cast the stink-eye towards parents who fail to control their children. It's one thing for a child to cry during descent when she thinks her ears are going to pop. But it's definitely not cool to let little Johnny run up and down the aisle screaming.

And the worst type of fellow passenger? The one that 61% of respondents dislike the most? The 'Rear Seat Kicker'. There are few things worse than a long flight with someone constantly kicking your seat. Often this will be a child, accompanied by inattentive parents. Reclining back may help. Or ask the flight attendant to ask the kicker to stop or to move you to another seat — preferably away from all the other passengers on our list. Happy trails!

Want more? Check out the 10 Most Annoying Types of Hotel Guests