Trouble at 30,000 feet for bad mannered Brits

According to new research released by travel search engine Kayak.co.uk, nearly three quarters (73%) of British travellers say that fellow passengers have become ruder in recent years. Kayak.co.uk’s latest survey has identified that 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.

Mind over manners
For many of us, taking a flight from a busy airport is stressful in itself. Getting to the airport on time, finding the right check-in desk and elbowing a path to the departure gate can be bad enough, but that’s not all that winds people up as they navigate from point A to point B.

It now appears the state of the airline industry adds fuel to the fire, with almost half (41%) of respondents blaming long queues, disruptive security measures and canceled or delayed flights as the primary causes of increased rudeness amongst fellow airline passengers.

Notably, some passengers (10%) feel that the emergence of low cost airlines with ‘free for all’ seating policies have created a more ‘me first’ culture (10 %). Others (8%) believe the problem rests with the public itself, as holidaymakers are simply more stressed nowadays.

Runway Roulette
Any experienced cabin crew will admit that most passengers can’t truly relax until they find their seat. Unexpectedly having a whole row of free seats to oneself or sitting next to another sexy sightseer can make or break an in-flight experience.

When it comes to straining passengers’ nerves, 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%).

A negative experience isn’t just limited to other passengers. 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%).

Perhaps surprisingly, a Chatty Cathy doesn’t grate nerves as much as one may think – almost none of the respondents (2%) minded a talkative neighbour, and air rage brought on by the quality of airline meals barely registered at all (1.5%).

Airline Etiquette
Although most passengers have different opinions about acceptable airline etiquette, there are clearly some things most people do agree on.

Over three quarters (76%) of respondents agree fellow travellers should not spend more than five minutes in the toilet, and another three quarters (76%) think it’s appropriate to tell a child to stop kicking chairs from behind.

As for the mile high club, Brits appear to be loosing that reserved streak, with almost half (40%) of respondents saying it’s acceptable to ‘get it on’ whilst onboard a flight. Clearly word is getting out about the thrills of a tumble at 30,000 feet.

On the flip side of the coin, Kayak.co.uk’s survey also examined what passengers can do to put a smile on the face of their fellow travellers. The number one smile generator is offering to swap seats (36%) followed by helping someone with their luggage (27%). Almost one fifth of respondents (19%) admit to sneaking a cheeky peek at other titillating travellers or daydreaming about making a love connection upon landing.

Annie Wilson, Kayak.co.uk’s Director of Business Development has commented on how to cut down on stress during travel time: “If travellers are going to pay more for their flight and have to deal with the tempers of other passengers, Kayak.co.uk wants to make sure users get the most for their money. We don’t think its good enough to just compare flight prices, arrival times or airport preference – a good comparison site should spotlight any potential factors that may make a flight undesirable before it’s too late.

“With Kayak.co.uk’s newly launched “Flight Quality” features, consumers can exclude any options such as overnight trips with just the click of a button. Kayak.co.uk also flags certain flights with a “Flight Quality Warning.” Consumers will see warning symbols next to flights that are historically problematic. Short connection times, long layovers, terrible on-time records, departures and returns from different airports, red-eye flights, few seats remaining and turbo prop planes will all be easily identified, which will help increase the chances of a positive in-flight experience.”

Travel tips from Kayak.co.uk for the looming recession

• Flexibility is key: Airfares can vary several hundred pounds by day of the week. Travelling whilst most people are still at work will save time and money, so try booking your ticket for a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday to save some cash and aggravation. Use Kayak.co.uk’s Flexible Search tool to compare airfare up to three days before and three days after desired dates of travel. Kayak’s “Weekend Search” also allows users to compare prices for upcoming weekends or all weekends within a specified month. To compare fares for weekend travel, users can specify timeframes or simply browse upcoming weekends. Core results are organized by price while an interactive Weekend Snapshot box offers an overview of dates and prices. Users can also save favourite itineraries to the top of their search results for easier comparison.

• Lose the last minute: Kayak.co.uk’s the first to admit that sometimes there’s nothing more invigorating than throwing caution to the winds and taking that spontaneous trip. But in order to protect your wallet from the increasing oil prices that are driving up the cost of flights, you’ll need to book now if its savings you’re after. Costs for airfare, hotels and hire cars for the most part follow the thermometer – as the temperature rises, so do the prices!

• Open your mind: Not everyone knows where and when they want to go for their summer holiday. Kayak.co.uk’s award winning Fare Buzz feature provides a crystal ball of prices for users who are date and/or destination challenged. Holidaymakers can search and track the best fares to the “Top 25 Cities” in a region including US, Europe, Caribbean, Mexico/Central America, Asia, Africa and Australia/Oceanic. The ultra budget conscious traveller can narrow in on the perfect destination based on price or use the Google Map to weigh options such as travel time and weather.

• Go for the Greenback: Travelling a bit further afield is hardly inexpensive, but Brits can make their hard earned pounds stretch as far as possible by heading to any destination accepting (or linked to) the U.S. dollar. Interested in making the most of the exchange rate but looking for someplace more tropical than the U.S. or Canadian mainland? Consider sunning yourself on the beaches of dollar-based Caribbean islands like Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Just make sure to avoid St. Martin and St. Barts, which are much pricier and trade in the ever rising euro!