We have predicted the travel year ahead. Our fearless Editors who are seasoned travel veterans (and often drunk) predict with certainty that planes will continue to be full, hotels will continue to raise prices, the TSA will continue to annoy and you will continue to put up with it all. Why? Because you love to travel or have to travel and anyway you have no say.
The average traveler probably feels that they cannot change their experience but they sure as hell can bitch about it and that’s what this article is all about.
While airlines continue to fill planes in record numbers and invest in improving the in-flight experience with new aircraft and cabins, a new survey of frequent travelers shows that the carriers are failing to deliver on what is really important to passengers.
The 2015 Air Travel Pet Peeves Survey, conducted by Frequent Business Traveler magazine, found that frequent travelers continue to be dissatisfied with the personal space they get on a plane as well as with the comportment of their fellow passengers. In other words, it’;s cramped and people are savages on planes.
Rounding out the top five were Seatmate Taking Up Too Much Space and Passenger Reclining Seat into Me.
Given that a passenger is already traveling in a confined space, the top peeves spotlight the problem and reflect the impact on the flyer’s ability to “sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight,” as many pilots say in their welcome announcements, as well as to work during the flight.
“The findings put airlines on notice that they can’t afford to skimp on necessities, such as legroom and seat pitch,” said Jonathan Spira, Frequent Business Traveler’s editorial director. “Airlines clearly need to eliminate the bus-like atmosphere that on many flights tends to allow poor behavior on the part of passengers to fester.”
A total of 1,942 people took part in the survey which revealed what we already knew, economy travel can suck. But take heed in the days and weeks ahead we’ll offer many articles on how to escape the crush of economy travel and have a more luxurious journey. If you look at the travel year ahead it doesn’t have to be rough, we can help you make it enjoyable.
