Are You That Annoying Plane Passenger? Here Are The Worst In-Flight Behaviors

Imagine that you are boarding a flight from the United States to Spain. You walk down the aisle, store your carry-on bag in the overhead bin, and turn towards the person who you will be sitting next to for the next several hours. Now, imagine that you see your new travel mate massaging a sticky pile of bread dough? Although this situation might seem unlikely, it actually happened to some passengers in 2024. As relayed in a viral video that was later shared on YouTube, a passenger actually tried making a loaf of sourdough during their transatlantic flight. Social media users with gluten allergies and a general disgust condemned this bizarre behavior. But, the baker seemed unapologetic for their misstep.

As several weird incidents continue to occur on flights, we've decided to collect stories from flight attendants, via interviews as well as online research, to compile a list of in-flight rules. These are the behaviors to absolutely avoid if you are planning to travel by air. Despite the general awareness for what not to do on a flight, people continue to break to rules of airplane etiquette time and time again. As reported by CNN, cases of passenger misbehavior have increased substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The reason for this remains unclear, but one theory is that years of social isolation caused some folks to forget common courtesy. In any case, it's essential to treat our travel mates with respect — (yes, even when they forget the etiquette about reclining their seats). 

There's nothing better than listening to some popping rhythms while you're traveling. Or, at least that's true as long as you're listening to your own music. When a passenger decides to play a few tunes or watch a video without their headset, they can unwittingly become a nuisance for the entire cabin. To get a better idea of why headphone etiquette is so important, we spoke to Barbi — a veteran flight attendant with nearly 40 years of flying experience. And, according to her, knowing when to use your earphones and when not to use them is key.

"Playing your personal device with the volume up and no headphones or headset on is rude," Barbi explained. "No one else wants to hear what you're listening to, and it is really rude not to consider those around you." Luckily, Barbi said that there tends to be strict rules preventing this sort of thing from happening. "Many carriers have a policy that prohibits playing your device out loud," she said. Interestingly, though, Barbi also explained that there are instances when it's best to pause your music and take off your headphones all together. One of her biggest pet peeves is "not taking out your headphones when we come to your row to ask if you want anything to drink or eat." The reason? It's tricky for flight attendants to serve passengers who aren't paying attention to their surroundings.

When a baby starts crying in the middle of a flight, it's safe to say that most people hear it. Flight attendants tend to be especially aware of noisy infants, as it is their responsibility to know what's going on in the cabin at all times. Despite this, a few unruly passengers occasionally feel the need to inform flight attendants that a baby is crying. Others even ask the air professionals to make the noise stop. In reality, this is a common complaint that fills most flight attendants with rage. 

Kat Kalamani has worked as a member of a flight crew for at least 6 years. During this time, she grew frustrated with the number of individuals who engaged in this inappropriate behavior. Fed-up, she eventually took to social media, where she posted a viral video about the topic . "I promise you, there is nothing that irritates us more, as a flight attendant, when people complain about babies crying," Kalamani said on TikTok. "So, if you're traveling, bring noise-cancelling headphones. Or maybe ask the parent if they need help."

Generally speaking, it's rude to speak loudly in any cramped public space. However, it's especially rude to make a lot of noise during an in-flight safety demonstration. American Airlines flight attendant Ally Case explained why this behavior is inappropriate, and the reasons have a lot to do with airplane rules. "Please do not talk on the phone while we are doing the safety demo," Case said on TikTok. "It's not allowed, and we hate having to ask you to stop. Also, talking loudly to other passengers during the safety demo is not ideal."

She went on to explain that this type of behavior is inconsiderate to the people around you. After all, it may be their first time watching a safety demo on a plane. "So, while you might have seen the safety demo five million times, and you know what to do in case of an emergency, maybe the person to your left or your right or the person in front or behind you has not flown before, and they're not familiar with the aircrafts," Case said. "For everyone's safety, please respect the safety demo."

Just because flight attendants serve food and drinks does not mean it's their main job. In reality, most of their responsibilities pertain to maintaining the safety of the aircraft. Despite this, some air travelers apparently feel that the flight attendants need to serve them snacks and drinks throughout the entire flight. This assumption is not only incorrect — it is also seriously rude.

On a Reddit page for flight attendants, several airline professionals shared their grievances. "When I'm doing service and I hear a ring and it's only two seats past where I already did service, I usually scoot back and see what's up. It's always for a refill," one person wrote. "That is when I get upset." Another agreed with this general sentiment and even suggested that especially thirsty passengers bring their own beverages. "I was working a TUL turn and everyone ordered two or three drinks. Everyone single one of these 79 people ordered two plus drinks. Like bring a bottle of water with you," they wrote. Things get even more complicated when passengers take advantage of the services. On the same thread, a third flight attendant complained, "One time I had someone ask for a can of Diet Coke, so I opened the can and handed it to them and they got angry. So I swapped it out, and they took the closed one and put it in their bag. Sheesh."

It's no secret that flying with pets can be stressful. Most dogs and cats aren't used to traveling by plane, and many resent being confined to a tight pet carrier. Unfortunately, though, there's no easy solution to this problem. Even though your animal may want to leave its carrier to stretch its legs, this is not allowed on the aircraft. If you do remove a pet from its case, you won't just make other passengers uncomfortable — you will likely force a hard-working flight attendant to go take care of the situation themselves.

This is exactly what happened to one flight attendant after an unruly passenger allowed a cat out of its bag. "While we're taking a seat count (for weight and balance before takeoff), the other FA and I notice [a passenger] took the cat out, which isn't allowed. We tell her to put the cat back and keep it secure for the flight. She complies, we take off, and before we're even at 10,000 feet, I see a cat head poke out into the aisle from her seat area," one airline professional wrote on Reddit. Because of this, the flight attendant in question had to rush back down the aisle in a precarious situation. "I have to get up, while still in a very steep angled takeoff, and tell her to put the cat back in its crate," they said. 

Sitting for hours on end is not necessarily fun, but it is an inherent part of flying. Although there's nothing wrong with standing up mid-flight and taking a quick stroll down the aisle, trying to squeeze a workout into your travels is incredibly inappropriate. The reason? There's not a lot of space on airplanes, and it's not okay for one individual to dominate a particular area. On top of that, flight attendants find it incredibly frustrating when passengers block the walkways, bathrooms, and the galley.

"If you want to get up and move around during the flight, don't utilize our only workspace as your stretch zone," flight attendant Haley Fox told Business Insider. "I don't come to your office and put my butt in your face, please don't downward dog and lunge around in mine." From what our research shows us, other airline professionals largely seem to concur with this sentiment. In a separate interview with Yahoo! Travel, a flight attendant by the name of Abbie Unger recalled a time that someone began doing yoga in the aircraft. "The worst case I had was a man wearing too-tight '80s Dockers. He said he had to do some stretching," she recalled. 

Basic human decency requires treating everyone with respect. Despite this, many airplane passengers ignore common courtesy when speaking to airline professionals, and unfortunately, these unruly customers are one of the worst parts of a flight attendants' job. In a conversation with Islands, veteran flight attendant, Barbi, recalled an instance when unruly passengers went so far as to curse at her and the rest of the crew. "We were flying from the States to Europe and had to divert to New York because the bathroom sinks were overflowing," Barbi explained. "When we walked off the airplane, a few passengers in the terminal booed us and dropped F-bombs and other choice obscenities at us while flipping us the bird."

Obviously, this situation left her feeling uncomfortable. "They were very aggressive, and it was uncomfortable and disturbing to think that these same passengers would be on the flight with us the next day," Barbi said. Luckily, though, major airlines have strict rules regarding this sort of behavior. In the end, Barbi said that the passengers in question were "removed from the airport by security, and we didn't see them the next day."

"No shirt, no shoes, no service." These are typical rules in restaurants, shopping centers, and grocery stores. However, for some reason, certain airline passengers think that it is acceptable to walk around the cabin barefoot. The truth is that this behavior is inconsiderate to other travelers — most of whom do not want to see a strangers' toes. Plus, wandering around the plane without shoes and socks is one of the things that flight attendants want passengers to stop doing. For a lot of flight attendants, this issue of bare feet on board an aircraft pertains to health and safety. As a flight attendant Jennifer L. told Business Insider, airplane floors are not regularly sterilized. In other words, they tend to be extremely dirty. "Probably the most disgusting thing you could ever do is take your shoes and socks off and walk around the plane," Jennifer said.

Many other flight attendants appear to agree with Jennifer. One flight attendant commented on the lack of cleanliness of lavatory floors. "That's probably not just tap water on the ground," they wrote on Reddit, adding, "I see kids without shoes on all the time. It's disgusting. This isn't your living room." Some flight attendants are so grossed out by these spaces that they even recommend packing extra gear to make airplane bathrooms less disgusting.

It can be tempting to stuff your carry-on luggage to the brim. Most travelers want to be prepared for all sorts of weather on their trips, and nobody wants to leave a key item at home. With a full carry-on, a backpack, a pillow, and maybe even a blanket — you have probably overpacked. While some travelers might see this as no big deal, many flight attendants would tend to disagree. Carrying on more luggage than you can handle can slow down the boarding process, and it can also pose a challenge to the flight crew.

"On every flight I worked, passengers would bring on more than they could carry. My attitude was: If you can't carry it, don't bring it," former flight attendant Jane Hawkes wrote ( via Newsweek). She also said that it was particularly frustrating when passengers would expect her to help them with the luggage that they couldn't handle. After all, her professional responsibilities didn't exactly include heavy lifting. "Don't ask me to put [your heavy bags] in the overhead locker for you, because I'm probably much smaller than you. If you can't put it in there, I can't put it in there," Hawkes added. To avoid this problem, passengers can refer to a list of flight attendants' best packing tips. After all, airline professionals know how to choose clothing items that aren't too heavy — and don't take up excessive space.

Kindergarteners learn how to keep their hands to themselves, and yet many adults struggle with this elementary rule. Some airline passengers even touch flight attendants without their permission — an act that is never appropriate and will not be tolerated. In fact, cases of poking, patting, or grabbing the flight crew are often reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the FAA has unfortunately received a high number of complaints due to passengers who touch flight attendants. The organization has also reported cases in which flight attendants were attacked by passengers.

Here, the golden rule is to avoid touching flight attendants at all costs. If you need to get someone's attention, use your voice — not your hands. As veteran flight attendant, Barbi, exclusively told Islands, one of the rudest possible in-flight behaviors is "poking or jabbing us to get our attention." Her words very much echo the words of fellow flight attendant, Abbie Unger. "Please don't touch, poke, or tug on a flight attendant. You could say 'Ma'am' or 'Sir.' You can say 'Miss,' 'Excuse me,' 'Pardon me' — or just wait until I make eye contact with you," she told Yahoo! Travel. She went on to describe touchy passengers as "6-year-old[s]."

In today's day and age, it's hard to resist the lure of the phone camera. Snapping photos and recording videos is now easier than ever, and many travelers want to capture every second of their upcoming vacations. Because of this, some airplane passengers might take selfies or make reels as they board an airplane. They might even take a quick video of the flight crew to share on their social media.

While this behavior may not come from a bad place, it can be really detrimental to flight attendants. Just like any other hard-working professional, they go to work every day in hopes of doing a job well done — not appearing on someone else's social media page. Making matters even worse, some flight attendants have had bad experiences with being filmed in less-than-pleasant circumstances. According to Teri O'Toole — who has worked as the federal secretary of the Flight Attendants' Association of Australia — some professionals have had their pictures uploaded to miscellaneous websites with harsh captions. "Passengers will whip out their phone and start filming flight attendants at the drop of a hat, then post it to a chat room together with their name and saying 'So-and-so was rude and unpleasant'," Toole told stuff.co.nz. This behavior can make flight attendants feel unnecessarily exposed. As the federal secretary asked, "Would you pull out your phone and start filming a waiter, or a construction worker on a work site?"

In order to compile a list of the worst possible in-flight behaviors, we decided to speak to Barbi — a veteran flight attendant with nearly four decades of experience in the air. Not only has she witnessed some of the most egregious misbehaviors, but she has also spent hours listening to her colleagues complain about their own biggest pet peeves. Because of this, Barbi was able to give us key information regarding what actually breaks the rules of airplane etiquette.

Of course, we understand that some of Barbi's opinions could be unique to her own experiences. With this in mind, we also reviewed other flight attendants' interviews to see whether or not they tended to agree. We even did a deep dive on platforms like Reddit to get a feel for the behaviors that most flight attendants dislike. Ultimately, we were able to compile a list based on what the majority of voices deemed as rude, ensuring that our list was as universal as possible. Behaviors that only one or two flight attendants mentioned were discarded.