Lack of Personal Space and Disruptive Passengers are Biggest Air Travel Pet Peeves

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BOTTOM LINE

By their very nature, aircraft cabins are environments in whichDSC_0685 several hundred people must share a rather confined space for several hours.  A combination of predictable and unpredictable factors contribute to the overall experience frequent travelers have in the air, and while they may have become inured to some of the realities of air travel, such as limited legroom, slow or unavailable internet, and the requirement to turn off electronics (which is in the process of going away thanks to new FAA rules), there is no way to prepare for the mélange of characters who end up occupying the seats around them.

It’s a delicate balance of comfort versus profitability that an airline must consider when assigning a seating layout to aircraft.  Many of the unavoidable peeves could easily be addressed by an active effort on the part of the airline to, for example, extend the pitch of seats in economy class.  But if this means the loss of two revenue-generating rows of seats, the scale may tip unfavorably for comfort-seeking passengers.

Despite the peeves that readers and FlyerTalk members have alluded to, it’s important to remember that, over the course of decades of technological improvements, air travel has become more and more convenient and tolerable.  With any luck, conditions in the air will continue to improve and the peeves covered herein will slowly be eradicated.  No matter how advanced our airplanes may get, however, there’s no telling whether or not one will be seated next Henry VIII, William Howard Taft, or the gentleman who’s long overdue for attention to his personal hygiene.

(Photos: Accura Media Group)

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