How do you behave on board a commercial airline? A recent YouGov survey reveals that Americans have much to say about airplane etiquette. While flight delays or cancellations are a common gripe at airports, as is standing at the gate before your section is called, there are more issues onboard. So, what’s the top complaint for passengers? In contrast, what do you think is acceptable or unacceptable when you’re on board a flight? The following are some results from the YouGov survey on 30 in-flight situations that may or may not be contentious.
YouGov Survey on Airplane Etiquette
What is Unacceptable While Flying a Commercial Airline?
Allowing Children to Play in the Aisles
It’s no surprise that letting children run wild in the aisles is considered very poor etiquette onboard an airplane. In fact, the YouGov survey found that a whopping 86% of respondents consider this to be unacceptable. After all, who really enjoys the soundtrack of screaming children on a flight? Interestingly, only a mere 5% are okay with this behavior. You might be wondering if these respondents are parents who understand the struggle of keeping kids entertained on a long flight. As for the remaining 5%, they were undecided on this challenging issue.
Getting Drunk
Not far behind children playing in aisles is getting drunk on an airplane. Indeed, who likes sitting next to someone who’s had too much to drink? In other words, is this passenger talking loud and/or acting inappropriately? Is this passenger disrupting your flight and maybe causing a delay? YouGov has determined that 82% of those polled said getting drunk is very poor etiquette. At the same time, you may wonder why 9% think getting drunk is acceptable.
Leaving The Seat During Turbulence
How many times have you witnessed passengers leaving their seats during flight turbulence? It may or may not be that often but this poor etiquette came in third in the YouGov survey. Furthermore, this complaint is actually tied with getting drunk with 82% of those surveyed. The slight, yet odd difference is that 7% seem to think it’s ok to leave a seat, even when a flight crew says not to.
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Watching a Movie or Show Without Headphones
Even though most passengers are considerate of those around them, there are some exceptions. That is, those passengers who seem to think it’s completely OK for them to watch their movie, TV show, or video with the sound on. In the survey, 81% found this behavior to be unacceptable behavior. Conversely, and maybe surprisingly, 11% of those polled from the YouGov survey thought this behavior was acceptable etiquette. Perhaps those 11% don’t care about disrupting others onboard a flight or are simply oblivious.
Using Both Armrests
The worst possible seat in any economy section is clearly the middle seat on any flight. You know the situation, being stuck in the middle is far less comfortable than an aisle or window seat. However, what about using both armrests when you’re sitting next to another passenger? In the YouGov survey, 74% agreed that this is unacceptable behavior. As for those who said it was OK, that figure was 11%. If you’re stuck in the middle, this might be because you deserve to get that extra bit of space. To avoid this type of situation, make sure you reserve an aisle or window seat.
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Other Examples of Unacceptable Behavior
There are many other complaints among American passengers on commercial airlines. For instance, most people say exiting the plane before people in rows before them is very poor etiquette. The same goes for people who stand and stretch in the aisles or climb over someone to use the restroom. What are you taking off your shoes? In the YouGov survey on etiquette, 55% say this is unacceptable, while 40% say it’s OK.
What’s Acceptable Behavior Onboard a Commercial Airline
Using a Laptop on a Tray Table
Nowadays, working or playing on a laptop on a flight is fairly routine. As a result, 81% say using a laptop is perfectly fine airplane etiquette, although 6% say it’s not. Perhaps the disagreement is based on how a passenger behaves, such as having the sound on. Of course, it could also be the content being displayed on the screen or the loudness of tapping keys. Either way, using a laptop was the least concern among all those surveyed by YouGov.
Waking a Seatmate to Use the Bathroom
If you have to go to the bathroom, most will agree it’s completely acceptable to wake someone sitting next to you. In fact, 72% say go ahead and wake your seatmate, while 13% say don’t wake someone up. Above all, if you have to go, you have to go and it could be far worse if you can’t leave your seat in time.
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Pushing the Flight Attendant Call Button
Most Americans who fly say it’s OK if you have to push the call button to ask for refreshments. While you may already have food and refreshment service, 67% agree that asking for additional items is OK. On the other hand, 16% percent of those surveyed don’t agree with using the call button. As for the reasoning of those 16%, you might think some folks use the button for a non-essential reason. This could be asking for too much alcohol or just pushing the call button instead of the passenger reading light.
Closing the Window Shades During Takeoff or Landing
It’s generally acceptable for you to close the window shade, whether your flight is departing or landing. According to the YouGov poll, 56% say closing the window isn’t a problem. That’s not to mention that flight staff will often ask you and other passengers to close the window. Not only is this a policy on many commercial airlines, but closing the windows helps cool the interior cabin. On the other hand, there are times when attendants will ask you to keep the window shades up. That’s because your attendant can better assess a potential hazard. On the opposing side of the poll, 19% think it’s better to keep the window shades up.
Reclining a Seat
Although there is contention about reclined seats, most people think it’s reasonable to do so. In more detail, 55% of people say go ahead and recline your seat, while 26% don’t think it’s good etiquette. Perhaps a reason why a quarter of those polled disagree is just how far you recline your seat. That is, if you recline your seat just part of the way or all the way down. You can imagine how the person behind you feels about reclining your seat to the maximum. That in itself would be considered very poor airplane etiquette.
Other Examples of What’s Acceptable
In viewing the YouGov poll on what’s acceptable for airplane etiquette, you’ll find that some are a toss-up. For example, if you leave your reading light on when the cabin lights are out. In this possible situation, 38% think it’s OK to leave the light on, although 36% think it’s a no-no. Are you OK with switching your seat when someone asks you? 51% say it’s acceptable etiquette, and 26% disagree. After all, do you really want to move to a middle seat when you paid extra for an aisle or window seat?
YouGov Methodology
YouGov asked 1,152 American adults about the 30 most contentious behaviors during a commercial flight. Using the conventional sample matching method, these Americans were chosen via YouGov’s opt-in panel. In further detail, the method used a random sampling of those Americans determined by race, gender, age, and other factors. Additionally, there was a margin of error of approximately 3.9%. This poll was conducted from May 23 to 26, 2024.
About YouGov
YouGov is a global public opinion and data company based in Great Britain. While its headquarters are in London, YouGov maintains operations across the globe, including in the U.S., the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. Founded in 2000, YouGov ranks among the world’s top five polling organizations.
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About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS for eight years. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, and Radio.com. He earned a media fellowship from Stanford University and is a member of Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW).