From surprise baggage fees to other passengers’ questionable seat behavior, Upgraded Points‘ latest study is uncovering where calm prevails when it comes to traveling, and where tempers turn stormy.
“Travel is meant to be an adventure, but even small hiccups can turn it into a headache,” said Keri Stooksbury, editor-in-chief at Upgraded Points. “By finding the states where travelers lose their cool and those where they stay composed, we hope to encourage everyone to pack a bit more patience on their next flight.”
Upgraded Points surveyed over 2,000 U.S. air travelers to gauge inflight irritability. Using 21 behavioral and attitudinal metrics, respondents rated their annoyance in 11 common travel scenarios on a 1-to-5 scale, reporting actions like switching seats or complaining to staff and indicating how much they would pay for a child-free cabin. These responses were averaged and indexed via a 0 to 100 irritability score for each state, with higher scores signifying a greater tendency for irritable behavior while flying.
The Top 5 States With the Most Irritable Travelers
- Texas (Score: 79.4): Travelers reach peak annoyance after just 40 minutes of delay and are tied for the shortest patience window nationwide. One-third (33 percent) have asked strangers to change their behavior midflight, and on average would pay $207 to avoid sitting near children.
- Florida (Score: 73.4): More than 1 in 4 Florida travelers (26 percent) have lodged verbal complaints with airline staff. Over half (56 percent) would pay for a child-free zone and are willing to spend $235 for the privilege.
- New York (Score: 66.7): New Yorkers register an average irritation of 4 out of 5 across 11 pet-peeve scenarios. Flight delays (4.5) and personal-space violations (4.33) top the list. And nearly 60 percent would pay extra to avoid children.
- California (Score: 64.7): One in four Californians (26 percent) have requested behavior changes from fellow travelers, and 16 percent have argued with passengers or staff.
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Illinois (Score: 57.8): Almost half (46 percent) of Illinois travelers would purchase a child-free experience and would spend more than anyone to do so: $378 on average.
The Top 5 States With the Least Irritable Travelers
- Iowa (Score: 13.1): Iowa travelers report no inflight yelling or public complaints. Their annoyance at common inconveniences like crying babies and surprise fees stays in the low 3s.
- Kansas (Score: 17.2): With a self-rated irritability of 1.94/5, only 2 percent of Kansans have switched seats to avoid a fellow passenger, and none have complained midjourney.
- Minnesota (Score: 17.3): Minnesotans tolerate an average 72-minute delay before irritation kicks in, the nation’s longest patience window.
- Nebraska (Score: 19.7): Nebraska boasts the lowest self-rated irritability at 1.81/5. None have switched seats or complained to staff, and they rate common annoyances like post-landing seat-storming at 2.5/5 and overhead bin hogging at 3/5 with minimal fuss.
- New Hampshire (Score: 21.9): Composed travelers in New Hampshire report zero inflight outbursts or negative reviews and score 2.16/5 on confrontation likelihood. However, they do prize personal space, rating overly close seatmates at 4.4/5, one of the highest in the study.
Check out the complete study online.
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