U airports have always been one of the most stressful aspects of the travel experience: between security checks, waiting at the gates, endless queues and shared spaces with hundreds of people, it doesn’t take long for tension to rise and behaviors that many passengers consider irritating and rude to emerge. Come on clever people who jump the queue to those who occupy entire rows of seats with luggage, certain habits seem to have become an integral part of airport life.
A new one international investigation created by the online travel agency Opodo trying to understand which behaviors are most hated by travelers and how they deal with the moments before the flight: the survey involved 9,000 participants in different countries of the world and outlines a curious but also very realistic cross-section of the dynamics that happen every day in airports.
Arriving at the airport divides travelers
One of the first aspects analyzed by the survey concerns the moment of arrival airport: there are those who prefer to plan in advance to avoid unforeseen events and those who instead try to minimize the time spent between check-in and the gate.
According to the collected data, most of the travelers appear he prefers caution: the 59% of those interviewed said that they feel more comfortable arriving at the airport well in advance of the required time, even at the cost of having to wait a long time before boarding.
Another one 36% instead, he says to follow the instructions of the airlines and generally arrive between two and three hours before departuredepending on the length of the trip or type of flight.
The group of those who prefer to take risks is much smaller: only the 4% he admits appeared shortly before takeoff to not spend too much time in airports, often perceived as expensive and unpleasant places. In the United Kingdom an interesting difference also emerges between men and women: 6% of men say they arrive at the last minute, compared to only 3% of women.
The psychology of boarding
One of the most chaotic moments in airports is undoubtedly that ofboarding: Even when airlines assign specific groups and priorities, many passengers tend to get up on time as soon as the announcement appears at the gate and thus causes premature queues and some general confusion.
Opodo’s survey identified four broad categories of behavior among travelers: the largest is that defined as “the sitter“, i.e. those who remain seated until their group is officially called. On a global level they represent the 48% of those interviewed and it is the passengers who observe the crowd that forms in front of the door without intervening and wait patiently for their turn.
The Portuguese seem to be the most disciplined: 66% prefer to stay seated until the correct moment. The British followed with 51%, while in Italy this percentage falls to 36%.
Then there is the group of “pass”, equal to 23% of the interviewees, made up of those who prefer stay close to the lineready to join as soon as possible. Even more interesting is the behavior of the so-calledpre-queue“, i.e. those who create an unofficial queue even before boarding for your group. Globally they represent the 12% of the sample, but the percentage rises to 15% among Germans and Italians, while in the United Kingdom it remains at 9%.
Finally there are the “anti-queue“, the most relaxed of all: the11% of those interviewed say they prefer to board on the last plane, convinced that their seat will always be available. The Italians and the French seem inclined towards this approach: 18% and 17% respectively say that they have no interest in early boarding.
The most irritating behaviors in airports
The most significant part of the investigation, however, concerns habits considered more annoying from passengers: in an environment where spaces and times are shared, even small gestures can turn into a source of irritation.
In the first place is the behavior of the so-calledsmart people in line”: 48% of those interviewed indicated it as irritating trying to jump the queue during security checks or during boarding. The French and the British are particularly annoyed by this attitude: 51% of the participants from both countries consider it the worst possible behavior at the airport.
The habit of they occupy the seats with suitcases and bags leaving the people standing: the 45% of participants find it irritating to see unusable seats because of luggage. In the United Kingdom, this percentage also rises to 52%, while in Portugal it reaches 50%. Italians, on the other hand, seem more tolerant: only 35% consider this behavior particularly annoying.
Among the most hated bad habits dI leave the trash in gate areas or in airplane seats. The French are the strictest on this issue: u 49% declares that he cannot tolerate those who pollute the common areas. The Germans follow with 47% and the Spanish with 46%. Worldwide, the average is 42%.
Even the noise continues to be a source of tension in airport areas: talking loudly on the phone or using a loudspeaker is considered irritating by 40% of those interviewed worldwide, although the British seem slightly less sensitive to the problem.
Finally, the dedicated category is curious that gets too close to the baggage carouselremaining “attached” to the baggage delivery line. According to the survey, 25% of the British and Germans consider this behavior very irritating, while the French and Italians seem to tolerate it more.