What would you do on an airplane if a child was kicking your seat or the person next to you refused to turn off their cell phone?
A recent survey by the Travel Leaders Group, which manages leisure, business and franchise travel operations, asked travelers to put themselves in those situations.
“Let’s face it, there are no real etiquette rules for air travel,” stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. “By better understanding consumer behavior, our travel experts can provide sage advice to their clients to hopefully better defuse many of the situations they may face while traveling.”
The basic findings are that passengers want to be courteous and accommodating, but aren’t afraid to speak up if someone is being rude.
“If another airline passenger seated near you won’t turn off his/her cell phone while in flight, what would you do?”
34.3% -- Call a flight attendant.
27.1 % -- Say something directly to the person.
23.9% -- Sit quietly and say nothing.
14.7% -- Not sure.
“If another airline passenger seated near you is using headphones to listen to music or a movie and the sound is so loud that everyone around him/her can also hear, what would you do?”
47.4% -- Ask them to turn it down.
26.5% -- Call a flight attendant.
17.3% -- Sit quietly and say nothing.
8.8% -- Not sure.
“If a child was seated behind you on an airplane and constantly kicked your seat, what would you do?”
62.8% -- Say something directly to the parent or child.
10.2% -- Call a flight attendant.
9.7% -- Sit quietly and say nothing, hoping the parent will stop their child.
6.7% -- Ignore it, children will be children.
6.1% -- Turn around and glare at the parent or child.
4.5% -- Not sure
“If you were flying alone and a couple asked you to switch seats so that they could sit together, what would you do?”
44.7% -- Gladly move regardless of what kind of seat it was.
27.2% -- Move only if it was not a middle seat.
13.6% -- Move only if new seat was an aisle seat.
6.4% -- Not sure.
4.4% -- Move only if new seat was a window seat.
1.8% -- Move only if it were closer to the front of the plane.
1.3% -- Move only if new seat had extra leg room.
0.6% -- I wouldn't move for any reason.
“If you were traveling with a companion on vacation and you received an upgrade to first class, would you…”
38.4% -- Depends on who I'm traveling with.
29.9% -- I would pass up the opportunity so we could continue to sit together.
11.8%-- I'm not sure what I would do.
7.8% -- Give it to my traveling companion – they deserve a little extra something.
6.3% -- Depends on the length of the flight.
5.8% -- I would say “see you after the flight” and head to the front of the plane.
“If you placed a small bag in the overhead bin and were asked to place it under the seat in front of you so someone else could put a very large roller bag above, would you …”
54.6% -- Do so without a second thought.
22.1% -- Do so, but grudgingly. I believe the other passenger should’ve checked their bag.
9.9% -- Politely decline offering one or several reasons why your bag should stay where it is.
6.9% -- Politely decline offering no explanation.
6.5% -- Not sure.
“While passing through a TSA security checkpoint, if a traveler in front of you is taking too long removing shoes, laptop, etc. would you…”
51.3% -- Patiently wait.
37.8% -- Wait, but be frustrated that they don't have their act together.
9.0% -- Jump in front of them.
1.8% -- Not sure.
0.1% -- Tell them to move faster.
