Travel
Passing gas on the airplane? Texas ranks 4th for nastiest travel habits, study finds
Thanksgiving travel woes ahead as cross-country storm hits
Nearly 80 million Americans are expected to travel this year over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Americans like to travel a lot. According to AAA, they projected that nearly six million Americans traveled by plane this Thanksgiving break.
What people do while they travel by plane might be alarming to many. In a study conducted by Solitaire Bliss, they inquired travel behaviors from what people do at the airport and what they do once they’re on the airplane.
In their methodology, they conducted a nationwide survey to identify where Americans are most and least prone to engaging in mischievous travel habits. Participants were asked about behaviors they’ve personally engaged in, those they’ve observed while traveling, which actions they find the worst and the airline they most associate with such behaviors.
Based on responses about personal guilty travel behaviors, points were assigned and averaged for each state. These scores were then scaled from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most mischievous travel habits. Finally, states were ranked according to their improper travel habits score.
Travel misbehaviors Americans confess to
Here is what American travelers admired to when at the airport and on the plane.
- Putting bags on seat terminals: 51.40%
- Reclining seat without asking: 38.31%
- Not putting cell phone on airplane mode: 37.46%
- Flatulence in seat or cabin: 32.72%
- Leaving garbage in seat pocket: 32.57%
- Asking to trade seats on plane: 25.02%
- Lying down in terminal: 23.63%
- Using both armrests if not in the middle: 23.33%
- Legs in aisle: 20.23%
- Ignoring seat belt sign: 18.93%
- Pushing on the seat in front of them: 11.19%
- Drinking too much alcohol: 9.39%
- Wearing too much cologne or perfume: 8.29%
- Barefoot on the plane: 5.89%
- Bringing smelly food on the plane: 5.54%
Travel behaviors Americans said they’ve seen others do
Not wearing deodorant is unacceptable. However, according to the study, there are several travelers who do not keep up with proper hygiene.
Here is what nasty travel behaviors that other American travelers have said they’ve seen others do.
- Reclining seat without asking: 75.47%
- Loud phone use in the terminal: 74.08%
- Putting bag seats in terminals: 72.73%
- Leaving trash in seat pockets: 71.68%
- Asking to switch seat on planes: 66.08%
- Pushing on seat in front of them: 63.54%
- Lying down in terminal: 63.14%
- Ignoring seat belt sign: 62.44%
- Legs in aisle: 60.29%
- Loud phone use on the plane: 55%
- Wearing too much cologne or perfume: 50%
- Drinking too much alcohol: 45.95%
- Having body order or smelling funky from not bathing: 44.86%
- Flatulence in seat or cabin: 43.66%
- Bringing strong-smelling food in the plane: 41.21%
- Barefoot on the plane: 40.41%
- Not putting phone in airplane mode: 39.46%
- Verbal confrontation with others: 37.16%
- Asking to cut in security line: 34.57%
States with the worst travel behaviors
Texas ranked fourth with a score of 86.18 for the state with the nastiest travel habits. Here is a graph of all the state rankings.