Metasearch site Skyscanner scored a PR coup by commissioning a survey of 700 international cabin crew members, from 85 countries, about their likes and dislikes in air passenger behaviour.
Dozens of print, online, and broadcast outlets—from The Sydney Morning Herald to the US website of Condé Nast Traveler to Monocle 24 Radio—picked up the story, touting the UK-based flight-search website along the way.
The international press hyped most of all the results that air passengers prefer a particular type of a passenger: A man in his 30s who travels alone for pleasure, rather than business, and isn't a celebrity but flies economy class.
Apparently this type of passenger, a.k.a. "a dude," cause the least headaches for air crews.
Of course, 30s single males also tend to be the preferred dating pool of many cabin crew members, to generalise wildly.
Top gripes of cabin stewards
But it was the list of most annoying air passenger behaviours that caught our eyes.
Passengers who click their fingers to get the staff's attention is the biggest gripe for cabin crew (26%). Who knew?
The second-most annoying passenger habit is the scramble to leave the plane before the seat belt signs are switched off (13%). Stuffing too many bags into overhead locker came in third (11%).
Full survey results on the Skyscanner site.