The Worst Airplane Seat Is Next To A Passenger Who Doesn’t Use Headphones, As 83% Of Americans Believe It’s Basic Travel Etiquette, According To A Recent Survey
You might think the worst place to sit on an airplane has to be the middle seat or any spot situated right near the bathroom, but a new survey has found that the worst seat on a flight is the one next to a passenger who does not use headphones.
A survey commissioned by JBL, a sound recording company, revealed that 83 percent of Americans believe wearing headphones in public is basic travel etiquette. Additionally, 58 percent stated that noise pollution from fellow passengers has reached “public crisis levels.”
The poll gathered information from 1,000 Americans to learn more about how they deal with common stressors during a busy holiday travel season.
Today, headphones are considered a must-have travel item by 42 percent of passengers. They are even more crucial than travel pillows for 12 percent of people, extra legroom for 11 percent, and in-flight meals for nine percent.
“Through it all, high-quality music or audio will be essential in alleviating stress,” said the researchers of the study.
However, there’s always at least one person who’s decided that the rest of the world should listen to their playlist or YouTube videos, which might calm them down but will effectively make the situation more stressful for everyone else.
Navigating these impolite interruptions can be tricky. A noisy seatmate on a flight is so undesirable that travelers would be willing to accept almost any other unpleasant or disagreeable scenario.
For instance, 68 percent would switch to an aisle seat, 33 percent would opt to sit in an emergency exit row, and 22 percent would rather sit next to the airplane bathrooms than a passenger playing audio without headphones.
Seatmates who don’t use headphones (27 percent) are almost as annoying as those who recline their seat and intrude on others’ personal space (29 percent).
Friends Stock – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
The public noise issue goes beyond the airplane. Americans are also frustrated with people who answer calls on speakerphone in airport restaurants (24 percent) and those who hold conference calls in airport lounges (19 percent).
Furthermore, 35 percent of Americans admitted to sometimes listening to audio without headphones in public, while six percent do so regularly.
A majority of 76 percent of Americans want more signage in public spaces telling people to use headphones.
Meanwhile, 66 percent believe that airline staff should intervene when passengers play audio without headphones.
Finally, 47 percent of Americans say they would never let others borrow their headphones or earbuds, which further emphasizes the importance of such audio equipment.
In conclusion, it appears that nothing will test your patience and disturb your peace during your travels more than a noisy neighbor who, for some reason, refuses to wear headphones.
The key to pleasant and peaceful travel is how well people around you understand modern travel etiquette.
The next time you travel, remember that headphones are heroes, coming to rescue you from most travel challenges.
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