I got linked to this list of most annoying airplane habits via Gridskipper. While the “Incessant talker” is certainly a frequent annoyance, I personally think that the ‘Rapid Recliner’ and “Crying Baby” should top the list of most infuriating in flight behaviors.
A week ago, while on the flight back from Abu Dhabi, the man in the seat in font of me reclined his seat all the way back for all of the flight time that my food tray dug into my stomach and I was nauseated by the repugnant odor of his hair gel. To make matters worse, he was not only a recliner, but a non-stop talker as well. He kept constantly yapping to the girl next to him the whole time, and I could see she was repressing her aggravation with this traveler scum. I had this pressing urge to strangle him with the cord of my headphones, repeatedly stab him in the ear with my plastic spork, then smash my food tray on his foul-smelling cranium. One of the flight crew members almost had to yell at him to put his seat back in the upright position during landing. Earlier in the flight, the passengers across the aisle to my right almost got into a fist fight over arm rest space rights, while the child in the seat behind me kept singing, using the back of my seat as a percussion instrument. I waited till his mom went to the bathroom, then I turned around and threatened to throw him off the plane. He abstained immediately.
The fun of cattle class.