These are a few of the weird things Americans don’t like on airplanes

Traveling can bring out the worst in anyone but there are some particularly weird things that Americans dislike when flying to their destinations for work or pleasure. But how do we know about these things? Well, a poll of course. 

Polling from YouGov of 1,152 Americans in May 2024 on flight etiquette and manners in the air discovered the ten major things that Americans find the most unacceptable while flying on a plane, and what some find acceptable might surprise you. 

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Acceptable: 16%

Unacceptable: 64%

Not Sure: 19%

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Acceptable: 14%

Unacceptable: 65%

Not Sure: 21%

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Acceptable: 20%

Unacceptable: 66%

Not Sure: 15%

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Acceptable: 14%

Unacceptable: 68%

Not Sure: 17%

Acceptable: 11%

Unacceptable: 74%

Not Sure: 15%

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Acceptable: 11%

Unacceptable: 79%

Not Sure: 9%

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Acceptable: 11%

Unacceptable: 81%

Not Sure: 9%

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Acceptable: 7%

Unacceptable: 82%

Not Sure: 11%

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Acceptable: 9%

Unacceptable: 82%

Not Sure: 8%

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Acceptable: 5%

Unacceptable: 86%

Not Sure: 9%

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How 11% of Americans surveyed could find using both armrests or watching a movie without headphones acceptable is a bit baffling but luckily YouGov also made a few interesting discoveries about some other things Americans find acceptable on planes.  

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51% of people said that it was okay to switch seats with another passenger, which makes a lot of sense in some situations where one hasn’t paid for their specific seat choice. 

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Another 46% of people said that it was acceptable to make friends and chat with a stranger sitting next to them on the flight even if the same percentage of people said that they traveled by plane once a year or less. 

It is also interesting to note that 37% of those surveyed think it is acceptable to bring a dog on board a plane while 26% said the same for cats. Closing the window during takeoff got a 56% acceptability rating, which seems wrong if you’re sitting next to others. 

32% of those surveyed said that it was okay to silently pass gas while traveling on a plane. 46% said this was unacceptable and another 22% weren't sure...