The one thing Australian passengers hate most about flying

SCREAMING kids. Armrest hoggers. Hidden fees. There are many annoying aspects of air travel, but what’s the one thing that Australian passengers just cannot handle?

Air travel can be gruelling. Picture: Daniel Lobo

SCREAMING kids. Hidden fees. Armrest hoggers. Could there be anything worse, when it comes time to take to the skies?

Well according to Aussies, yes! A survey by TripAdvisor has discovered the one thing we simply cannot stand for: uncomfortable airline seats.

That’s in conjunction with the limited legroom that often comes with poorly laid out seating plans designed to squeeze as many people on board as possible, and thus be more profitable for airlines.

It’s not just the size of the seats that are shrinking, even the padding is being sacrificed.

And we’re feeling the difference, with 70 per cent of the survey respondents saying uncomfortable seats are THE number one worst thing airlines are doing.

Ugh. Get us out of here.

That’s followed by loud or crying children (with 40 per cent of the votes), and costly airline fees and ticket prices (37 per cent). Long security lines and unpredictable flight delays or cancellations also had travellers irked, with 35 and 30 per cent of the votes respectively.

Please stop screaming!

However while travellers are quite united in their mile-high issues, many are simply unwilling to pay extra for a solution. Forty-three per cent are not willing to pay to sit in a child-free zone; similarly 45 per cent are not willing to pay for extra legroom for a flight under four hours.

Air travel can be gruelling. Picture: Daniel Lobo

When asked which one amenity would most improve their in-flight experience, along with more legroom and comfy seats, travellers wanted complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi, better in-flight entertainment, a more streamlined check-in process and an easier booking system.

We want one of these! Living it up in business class on Singapore Airlines. Picture: Jo Ito