Everyone looks forward to taking a summer holiday, but the flight to your destination can be a bit of an ordeal.
Even if you are not particularly scared of flying, it is still not the best experience being cooped up in a small space for hours with nothing much to do to pass the time.
There is also always the possibility that your flight could be delayed, it may face some turbulence, or the airline could even lose your luggage.
But what else is there that can make the flight experience even more annoying?
AA Travel Insurance surveyed over 5,000 Irish holidaymakers to find out what gets on their nerves when stuck on a plane.
The top annoyance listed was fellow passengers being rude to the airline staff, which irked 86% of people surveyed.
Second worst (70%) was rowdy behaviour from passengers who had knocked back more than one or two alcoholic beverages during the flight.
Other annoyances mentioned in the survey included having your seat kicked by the person behind you, listening to screaming kids, and fellow passengers taking up your personal space (armrests anyone?) or fighting about overhead storage space.
Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs, commented: “Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do about these kind of behaviours other than try to focus on the fact that you’ll soon be enjoying yourself on a beach somewhere to try to help you through the rest of the flight.”
Another interesting point to come out of the survey was the activities Irish tourists most look forward to when traveling abroad.
Surprisingly, only 4% say they would spend a day relaxing by the pool or on the beach.
Instead, the majority of holidaymakers prefer to embrace the local culture with 42% saying they plan a trip to a point of interest in their local surroundings when away, and 38% make sure they go out to see the local attractions.
