Kids on a plane? No thanks

Counter-intuitively, overbooking seats on commercial flights is good practice for an airline and beneficial for passengers " as long as it is handled properly.

Counter-intuitively, overbooking seats on commercial flights is good practice for an airline and beneficial for passengers " as long as it is handled properly.

Published Jul 19, 2013

Share

London - Forget check-in queues, delays and lost luggage – sitting near naughty children is the greatest irritation when travelling by plane, a survey found.

One in three of us would pay extra to sit in a child-free zone on flights, while half think airlines should have on-board creches.

The survey quizzed 2 000 people on the things that annoy them the most when they fly.

Children kicking the back of seats topped the list of irritations, while youngsters crying or being unruly ranked second. Such is the strength of feeling, that one in four of respondents said they would pay up to £50 (about R750) extra per return flight to sit in a child-free zone, and a further seven percent would fork out more than £50 to keep away from children.

Drunken passengers were third on the list of in-flight irritants, with 49 percent agreeing that alcohol should be banned on planes. Surly cabin crew put a dampener on the holiday spirit of 41 percent of respondents, making it the fourth most annoying aspect of flying.

Sitting next to talkative strangers and poor quality in-flight meals ranked fifth and sixth on the list, while seeing someone get a free upgrade came in eighth place.

Ninth on the list was being chatted up by a stranger, while boring in-flight films came in tenth place.

Caroline Lloyd, of comparison website Gocompare.com, which commissioned the research, said: “I expect most parents have experienced seeing their fellow air passengers’ faces drop as they head towards them with children in tow, but this survey reveals just how many Brits are desperate that families pass them by and sit in any other part of the plane but theirs.

“It’s perhaps surprising that passengers are generally less bothered by drunks, rude cabin crew and talkative neighbours than they are by children who may just be bored, excited or even anxious.” - Daily Mail

Related Topics: