Skyscanner’s first survey of international cabin crew uncovers the good, the bad and the ugly of airline travel.

The survey of more than 700 international cabin crew members in 85 countries revealed the perfect airline passenger to be male, in his early 30s and travels alone for pleasure rather than business.

The biggest gripe for a quarter of cabin crew (26%) is passengers who click their fingers at them to get their attention. Other annoying habits at 30,000ft include the scramble to leave the plane before the seat belt signs are switched off (13%) and passengers trying to cram too much hand baggage in the overhead lockers (11%).

One in10 find their pet peeve to be passengers who talk through the safety demonstration, suggesting that many frequent flyers do not pay attention in spite of increasing requests by cabin staff to do to.

Stuffing rubbish in the seat compartments (9%) is also among the crew’s top gripes.

Skyscanner’s Sam Poullain said, “This is the first time that we’ve surveyed international cabin crew and the findings give us a real into what they really think of passengers. And the results were certainly not what we expected. Contrary to stereotypes, it’s interesting to see that it’s the men who get the vote for the perfect passenger, while cabin crew prefer to work in economy rather than premium class.”

The most annoying habits of air passengers

1. Clicking fingers to get your attention  – 26%
2. Leaving seat at the end before the light goes off – 13%
3. Stuffing too many bags into overhead locker – 11%
4. Complaining there’s no space for their bag in the locker – 10%
5. Talking through the safety demo – 9%
6. Asking for more blankets/pillows – 8%
7. Stuffing rubbish in the seat pocket – 9%
8. Asking for a different meal – 6%
9. Ringing the attendant bell to complain about temperature – 6%
10. Asking for a specific brand of drink – 4%

The perfect passenger

• Male
• Travelling alone
• Age 31-40
• Sitting in economy
• Reason for travel: leisure

• Photo courtesy of Malaysia Airlines