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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Milo Boyd

Worst plane passengers ranked - from reclining seats to disgusting habits

Flossing in the cabin, seat kicking and getting up too quickly are just some of the bad plane habits which enrage Mirror readers.

More than 10,000 readers have let us know what infuriates them the most when jetting off on a trip.

The overwhelming winner, with around 40% of the vote, was fellow passengers 'kicking or pushing the back of your seat'.

When you're trying to settle back and make the most of an uncomfortable Ryanair or easyJet seat after a crack of dawn journey to the airport, the last thing you want to feel is an irregular whacking on the back of your chair.

One woman recently wrote of being tormented by a child behind her who not only walloped her seat but grabbed her hair and poked her for hours straight in what sounds like a flight from the very bowels of hell.

Passengers getting up too quickly is a bug bear for many (Getty Images)

Second on the list of aggravating occurrences was when the passenger in front reclines their seat too far back, with 2,749 votes.

In the confines of economy class losing a precious inch or two of space can make the flight that much more uncomfortable, especially when you've got a tray of airline food on your lap.

Some people have decided to fight back against such encroachment, employing a gadget called the Knee Defender - two pieces of plastic that are clipped on to the seat in front on a flight to stop reclining.

In third place, and the biggest aviation bug bear for 843 Mirror readers, are passengers who are rude to flight attendants.

As well as choosing which trait annoyed them a most while at 30,000 feet, readers also shared their most enraging plane experiences.

It's fair to say that some of them are quite stomach churning.

People also got wound up by crying babies (Getty Images)

One reader reported that they once had to sit through a flight while their seat neighbour flossed his teeth next to him.

"Flicking their hair over the back of the seat constantly, reaching the tray table and into my food - revolting behaviour over a seven hour flight," another unhappy passenger wrote.

A third said that people sniffing really got under their skin, urging people to "blow (their) nose".

Another common gripe was directed at passengers who stood up too quickly when the plane touched down.

One passenger claimed they'd witnessed someone flossing (Getty Images/Westend61)

"When the plane lands and everyone from the back stands up," one reader complained.

"Like bruh, we came on in zones...can we leave in them too? Front to back yeh?"

Another annoyed reader directed their ire at parents who walked their "baby up and down the aisle, as if everybody thinks your kid is cute" while others directed their rage at passengers who "refuse to lower their blind in bright sunshine".

A final, clearly unfortunate plane passenger simply wrote: "Cutting toenails. Gross."

The plane habits that annoy Mirror readers the most

  1. Kicking or pushing the back of your seat - 4,039 votes
  2. Passenger in front reclining seat too far back - 2,749
  3. Being rude to flight attendants - 843
  4. Trying to swap or steal your seat - 833
  5. Rushing to get up when the plane lands - 530
  6. Loud coughing during the whole flight - 381
  7. Hogging the armrests - 311
  8. Going to the bathroom while not in the aisle seat - multiple times - 224
  9. Watching/playing inappropriate content - 28

Do you agree with the poll results? Let us know in the comments below.

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