What air passengers hate: Inattentive parents top seat-kickers

[December 10, 2013]  By Elizabeth Dilts

(Reuters) — Americans ranked the "Inattentive Parent" as the most annoying type of fellow air traveler, defeating the "Rear Seat Kicker," "The Aromatic Passenger" and "The Boozer," according to a list by online travel agent Expedia.com.

The list, compiled by consulting firm Northstar, ranked the personal annoyances of 1,001 Americans who had flown on an airplane in the past five years.

"Most of us, when we look at the list of offending behaviors, can admit to having committed one or more of the violations," John Morrey, vice president and general manager of Expedia.com, said in a press release.

Of the respondents, 63 percent said they "often feel annoyed" by parents traveling with noisy children, with 59 percent of those under 35 saying they would pay extra to sit in designated quiet zones if airlines offered them.

Kids' crying is not the only sound passengers find obnoxious. When asked how they feel about sitting next to talkative passengers, 73 percent said they were filled with "dread."

However, what pilots and attendants used to joke was an exclusive "Mile High Club" may have more members than previously thought. Ten percent of passengers said they have "been intimate" in-flight.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Dilts; editing by Daniel Trotta and Leslie Adler)

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