The 5 states with the best and worst airplane etiquette in the US
The state of airplane etiquette in the US is distressing.
With egregious airplane behavior in the US hitting a fever pitch, many may wonder which regions have the worst offenders. Fortunately, travel experts have named the states with the best and worst airplane etiquette in the country.
“As many Americans gear up for their summer vacations, our team set out to determine where residents have the worst travel habits,” study creator Solitaire Bliss wrote on their site.
This study couldn’t have come out of a better time: Of the 2,002 Americans surveyed by the site 78% felt that travel etiquette has deteriorated over the past couple years, USA Today reported.
To determine which US residents were most and least guilty of appalling airplane etiquette, the site “surveyed Americans in every state” on a variety of topics. These included which behaviors they witnessed while traveling, which behaviors they deemed the worst, which airline they most close associate with bad behavior, and which behaviors they themselves are guilty of.
The most frequently confessed-to infractions included putting bags on seats in the terminal, reclining their seat sans asking permission, neglecting to put phones in airplane mode, passing gas in the cabin, leaving garbage in the seat pocket and — perhaps the most contentious behavior of late — asking other passengers to switch seats.
Using these responses, Solitaire Bliss calculated an average score for each state on a scale of 0-100, with 100 representing “the naughtiest travel habits.”
Coming in first when it comes to air barbarism was Iowa with a “Naughty Travel Habits Score” of 94.29. Hawkeye state residents’ most common airplane conduct violations included placing luggage and terminal seats and breaking wind at 30,000 feet, per the poll.
Trailing close behind with a score of 89.81 was Illinois, where a quarter of residents copped to ignoring “seatbelt signs while flying.”
Virginia placed third with a score of 88.85 out of 100. Virginians’ top bad habits in transit included resting luggage on seats in the terminal, not putting phones on airplane mode, and reclining seats without asking beforehand.
New York, meanwhile, clocked in at number 11 with a score of 80.
Meanwhile, the least naughty state was Arkansas, whose residents were considered the most polite — or perhaps they’re just the most dishonest with regards to inflight offenses.
The Natural State was followed by Alabama and Florida respectively, perhaps proving that Southern Hospitality extends to the friendly skies.
Other insights, per the poll, included that one in 8 have witnessed a physical altercation in an airport or on a plane, Americans are most likely to associate Spirit Airlines with passenger misconduct and that Gen Zers are the naughtiest generation when it comes to travel etiquette.
