What really gets your goat when you’re flying? Is it the constantly changing flight prices or the never-ending ‘extra-charges’ that seem to really mount up?
Or is being stuck on a packed plane with screaming children, moaning adults and surly staff? The top 5 biggest bugbears have just been revealed by TripAdvisor who polled 2,000 travellers on their air travel hates. And rather unsurprisingly the top 5 reads like this;
1. Uncomfortable seats / limited legroom – If you particularly long-legged or just appreciate the extra legroom, it’s worth paying to upgrade to an aisle seat (watch out for the killer trolleys that ply their trade along the aisles though!) In fact 38% of the survey respondents said that legroom was their biggest flight annoyance. If you, like 44% of travellers have never paid for a seat upgrade, make sure you get up regularly and take a walk to stretch your legs to arrive calm and stress-free.
2. Costly airline fees and ticket prices – Once all the extra add-on fees have been applied, the cost can really be prohibitive, especially in the cheap flights arena. Do your research, shop around and compare like for like costs. And make sure you weigh your suitcase before leaving home! The most annoying fees are paying to check your baggage in, paying to take carry0on luggage, paying to choose your seat, paying to print your boarding pass in the airport and the actual in-flight facilities.
3. Unpredictable flight delays – To a certain extent there’s not really much you can do about a flight delay, except know your rights and what you may be entitled to claim back. Always pack extra books, magazines and a change of underwear just in case. There are tons of things you can do to kill time at the airport.
4. Long security lines – Again security checks are a very necessary part of flying and a little patience goes a long away. Dress in layers so you can adjust comfortably to the different destinations. Have all of your liquids and electrical items already separated to save time when you do get to the front of the queue. Don’t even think about smuggling any bizarre items onto your flight. And don’t make jokes or complain when you do reach the front of the security or passport queue – these guys take their jobs pretty seriously!
5. Other passengers – With crying babies, travellers with their ‘call’ button constantly pinging and rude neighboring passengers (think seat-kickers and those that refuse to put their seat up at mealtimes), it’s no wonder that sometimes a flight can be a pretty fraught experience. Try to be a responsible traveller yourself and if you do get a persistent seat-kicker (my personal bugbear) politely request them to STOP!
The best part has to be arriving at your destination (after queuing for passport control and grappling with visas) and spending time chilling out and exploring. Then you have to go through it all again to fly home!
And breathe….
