01 September 2008

Air passengers Ã¢â¬Ëœbecoming ruderÃ¢â¬â¢

Nearly three quarters (73%) of British travellers say that fellow passengers have become ruder in recent years, according to a poll.

Growing frustration with the overall state of the airline industry (41%) and an apparent decline in politeness in UK culture (39%) are the main culprits of UK air rage.

Long queues at airports, disruptive security measures and cancelled or delayed flights as the primary causes of increased rudeness amongst fellow airline passengers.

Some passengers (10%) feel that the emergence of low cost airlines with Ã¢â¬Ëœfree for allÃ¢â¬â¢ seating policies have created a more Ã¢â¬Ëœme firstÃ¢â¬â¢ culture. Others (8%) believe the problem rests with the public itself, as holidaymakers are simply more stressed.

The biggest gripes on long-haul flights are screaming babies (29%), sitting between two overweight passengers (24%), and being placed next to someone with bad body odour (16%).

Being treated poorly by cabin crew or spoken to impatiently by a stroppy flight attendant can also be too much for some well mannered people to take (13%), according to the research released by travel search engine Kayak.co.uk.

More than three quarters (76%) of respondents agreed that fellow travellers should not spend more than five minutes in the toilet, and another 76% think itÃ¢â¬â¢s appropriate to tell a child to stop kicking chairs from behind.

by Phil Davies