Air travel in economy is never a pleasing experience, no matter which airline you choose to fly by. Apart from the limited seating space and food options, one faces a lot of inflight inconveniences that cannot be avoided

After a tiresome three hours – travelling to the airport terminal, going through the immigration drill, walking a mile to your gate, and endlessly waiting for the aircraft to lift – you finally are about to take a refreshing sip of steaming hot coffee. But, a little kick on the rear of your seat compels you to spit out the brew with a mixed feeling of distress and anger.

“Oops! I’m sorry,” is the apology you receive, and you have no option but to accept that with contempt, though you’ve already dealt a hundred blows to the inconsiderate co-passenger in your mind. Look around and you suddenly feel relieved as you see someone bearing up with a wailing baby in the front seat, another tolerating a bulky, heavy snorer in the next seat, and yet another putting up with someone who appears to be having symptoms of a stroke.

If you are one who detests air travel because of the annoying behaviour of some co-passengers, you are not alone. And neither are your concerns unfounded. Every flight has its share of irritating passengers who don’t seem concerned about the comfort of other passengers or the crew. They come in all sizes and are of all nationalities and cultures, but belong to one broad category of ‘unwanted elements’ on flights.

A study conducted by GfK, an independent global market research company, which solicited feedback from 1,005 Americans age 18 and over found out that ‘rear seat kicking’ is the behaviour that earned the most fury. Sixty-four per cent of those surveyed cited the ‘Rear seat kicker’ as the most problematic passenger. Just behind that are ‘Inattentive parents’ (59 per cent) – defined as parents who have no control over, or pay no attention to, their crying, whining or misbehaved children.

Besides these two key annoying behaviour patterns on flights, a third factor that often disturbs the crew more than passengers are medical emergencies concerning passengers who suddenly take ill. From someone hurling into a paper bag next to your food tray to someone with symptoms of a stroke or in the grip of an epileptic fit next to you, there can be many medical conditions that unsettle co-passengers as well as the crew.

Here are three annoying but common problems that mostly economy passengers encounter during flights:

Annoying passengers

Constant kicking on the rear of your seat as they adjust themselves in their own or sneezing without covering their faces are two of the mst common irritating behaviour, and most dislike correction. Some even extend their legs from behind, so as to intrude your space, and nudging them off doesn’t send the message home unless the cabin crew are summoned for intervention.

Loud chatters are another irritant while those who open up stinking personal tiffins simply don’t deserve to be on board, you would think.

Mohammad Suleiman, a regular traveller from Oman, points out how a heavy snorer drew him mad on a full flight where moving to another seat was not possible. “He not only kept leaning onto my shoulders but also suffocated me with his stinking, sweaty breath. And when the flight landed, he jumped to his feet to get his hand baggage from the overhead compartment while the flight was still taxiing.”

Wailing babies

This is indeed a tricky one. One can chide adults or children for inconveniences, but with crying infants, there seems to be no solution, unless the accompanying parents have clever tricks up their sleeves. Often, one has to deal with crying babies on long flights but what’s more irritating is the irresponsible behaviour of some parents who do not correct their minor kids for inappropriate behaviour. While parents often are clueless about what causes their babies to cry, they often condone wrong behaviour of toddlers to prevent them from breaking into loud crying.

Vishal Raghavan, a ‘sufferer’ during air travel from Muscat, said, “I am not against crying babies, but it is, indeed, the duty of parents to figure out and manage them. Why should co-passengers suffer in silence or use earphones to escape the affliction.” He pointed out that Business Class passengers, too, are not immune to this problem wherein the crew are also helpless

“During one of my domestic flights in India, a four-hour trip, I was ‘unfortunate’ to be seated in a row that had a wailing baby in the rear seat. The parents seemed insensitive to the irritation caused to others as it seemed to be music to their ears. I was on an important trip and this situation added to my anxiety. I think, every parent must figure out solutions and be prepared before taking a baby on a flight,” he said.

Medical emergencies

From simple yawns, burps or snores to messy hurling into paper bags or between seats can ruin the entire flight for some people, for no fault of theirs. That’s also the flip side of air travel and most passengers tolerate sick passengers quietly most of the time. When co-passengers suffer epileptic fits or strokes, summoning medical help is inevitable, and while crew attend to them, it nevertheless leaves some passengers shaken, especially when the call for a doctor on board is sounded.

Maryam Balushi, a traveller from Oman, recalls witnessing a man faint next to her on a flight. There was a feeling of panic among some while cabin crew calmed people down. “Another incident was when my nephew, travelling to Dubai from Salalah, suffered severe ear pain. He pleaded for air plugs but was offered cotton balls that didn’t quite end his agony.”

Paulina Miranda Sakai, former air-hostess, pointed out how the crew feel responsible for the safety and wellbeing of passengers and often have to deal with unpleasant situations during air travel without a qualm.

“Impolite and unruly behaviour is challenging to deal with as it can jeopardise the safety of both crew and passengers on board. Excellent problem solving skills, ways of detecting issues before they start, and defusing problems are our main tasks – and staying calm is the hallmark of our profession.”

Neha Singh, cabin crew member, IndiGo Airlines, said, “Often passengers have demands but we have to be patient. Once a passenger shouted at me for not providing water when asked (as the flight was still in ascent) while another man was seen involved in a messy ‘cake fight’ with a co-passenger with their food. The men had to be reprimanded firmly.”

She also shared how she once calmed down a nervous first time flyer by singing Hindi songs to her, and how she coaxed a little boy to believe that the chicken burger served to him was an ‘egg burger’. Funny situations like these are many, as is the case of knocking on toilet doors to remind those spending more time than required, she said.

“The pilot takes most of the key decisions concerning irate passengers or medical emergencies. Our job is to stay calm and maintain calmness on every flight,” she asserted.