One explosive argument between two lawyers on a Monarch flight to Spain was recently caught on camera. The pair of passengers got into a heated row over an armrest.
But that’s not the most common igniter of sky-high fights. The primary cause of passenger conflict on planes, and where in the world it’s most likely to happen, have been revealed in new research.
Reclining seats into a fellow passenger’s leg space proved the top reason for arguments erupting mid-flight.
The sunshine.co.uk study surveyed 2,332 adults from the UK who had been on a holiday flight abroad within the past year.
More than a quarter (27 per cent) voted reclined seats as the most frustrating passenger behaviour.
Managing Director of sunshine.co.uk Chris Clarkson said: “Starting or ending a holiday with a big row during the flight with a fellow passenger is not ideal and is going to leave both parties with a bad taste in their mouth.
“If you’re planning to recline your seat, ask the person behind you if they’d mind first. They might be watching something on their screen or using their fold down table.
“If the person in front of you reclines their seat, ask them nicely if they wouldn’t mind putting it back forward and don’t be tempted to fly off the handle.”
Excessive noise was the next least popular behaviour, with 22 per cent of the vote.
Kicking your seat from behind took up 16 per cent and drunkenness accounted for 13 per cent.
Another nine per cent were fed up with people waking them, regardless of whether it was an accident or deliberate.
A staggering 41 per cent of pollers admitted to having an argument or some kind of conflict with another passenger during a holiday flight.
Of those, 62 per cent had exchanged ‘cross words’, 21 per cent said there was shouting involved and four per cent admitted it ‘got physical’.
Cabin crew had to get involved in 13 per cent of the passenger rows.
In-flight arguing occurred most commonly on flights to or from America (23 per cent), Mexico (19 per cent) and Thailand (13 per cent).
Chris Clarkson advised: “It’s just common sense really; stay calm and think before you react or act, so that an argument never arises.”
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