Sitting next to someone with poor airline etiquette can easily ruin your flight, and the US state you’re flying from may determine that.
From the seat in front of you leaning on your lap to the passenger pressing the armrests — but not in the middle seat — there are a number of behaviors that can annoy your fellow travelers. at recent days a report By Solitaire Place 78% of 2,002 Americans surveyed in April said they feel air travel etiquette has worsened over the past few years.
Participants cited the most common reckless behaviors at airports and planes they saw: people reclining in their seats without asking, using phones loudly in the station, and placing bags on station seats.
The survey asked what bad behavior people had witnessed and whether they were guilty of these air travel crimes – and many admitted to doing so. With survey respondents coming from every US state, the report identified states with the most polite and inconsiderate posts. (Yes, this is comprehensive data, and both good and bad posts are everywhere.) States are ranked on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater tendency among travelers from that state to have poor air travel etiquette.
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“With the summer travel season here, we will see an influx of stories on the media about bad passenger behavior and airline issues,” Assaf Cohen, founder of Solitaire Bliss, said in an email statement to USA TODAY. “Along with common behaviors such as taking a seat at the station with a bag, or reclining the seat without being asked to do so, one in eight passengers reported witnessing a physical altercation.”
Read below to find the top five states with the best and worst travel etiquette.
Countries with the worst travel etiquette
5. Georgia
4. Texas
3. Virginia
2. Illinois
1. Yes
With the highest score of 94.29, Iowa survey respondents were the most guilty of poor travel etiquette, such as placing their bags on passenger seats and passing gas on the plane. Virginians’ bad habits when flying included placing their luggage on the end seats, not putting their phones on airplane mode, and reclining their seats without asking. In Illinois, one in four residents admitted that they ignore the sign to fasten their seat belt while flying.
Countries with the best travel etiquette
5. Kansas
4. Ohio
3. Florida
2. Wisconsin
1. Arkansas
Call it “Southern hospitality” or “Midwest niceness,” but the states that reported the least rude air travel behavior were along the South and Midwest. Arkansas stole the top spot for having the most ethical passengers — or at least the ones who didn’t confess to their crimes.
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
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