‘Flying is unpleasant’: Readers share air travel horror stories
Independent readers responding to Helen Coffey’s account of returning to air travel after seven years have been sharing plenty of flying horror stories of their own, with many arguing that the experience has become markedly worse in recent years.
Cramped seating and shrinking legroom featured heavily. Taller readers described squeezing into economy seats for hours on end, while others recalled paying hundreds of pounds extra for exit-row seats or abandoning long-haul travel altogether because of the discomfort. Many contrasted today’s packed flights with memories of roomier cabins, quieter airports and half-empty 747s.
Readers also recounted frustrating experiences on the ground, from lengthy check-in queues and overcrowded terminals to exhausting early-morning departures and increasingly stressful airport journeys.
For many, however, the biggest problem was not the airlines but other passengers. Commenters complained about noisy travellers, poor hygiene, loud phone use, drunken behaviour and what they saw as a wider decline in public etiquette.
Others took a broader view, blaming the rise of cheap flights, overtourism and ever-growing passenger numbers for the deterioration in the travel experience. While a handful of readers said some airlines still offer a comfortable journey, the overwhelming mood was that modern flying is something to be endured rather than enjoyed.
Here’s what you had to say:
The other passengers are the real problem
The major issue with travel is really the other passengers…
We live in a world increasingly populated by medieval peasants. They certainly have the hygiene of those times, as I’ve been sat multiple times next to people and had to beg the hostess to place me elsewhere because the stench was unbearable.
There is the matter of clothing… Tracksuit bottoms and T-shirts are already not acceptable ways to dress in public, but then… I see people boarding a flight equipped with pillows and pyjamas…
Have people forgotten how to be in society since Covid?
Then there are all those peasants on their smartphones playing videos out loud… You spend hundreds of pounds on a phone and can’t even buy a headset for £10???
I am most astounded when I see people of older generations behaving in this manner. I thought at least they would know better…
How can they be oblivious to the fact that it’s annoying to everyone around?
The list could go on and on…
Air travel has become ever more unpleasant
I’m average height, but my kids are extremely tall. The airlines seem to be cramming ever more seats into the planes, and most airports are the same size as they were in the 80s, with double the amount of passengers going through.
Wherever we go short-haul, check-in is at 5am, so it means a miserable night in an airport hotel. Air travel has steadily become ever more unpleasant over the past four decades, and I certainly do miss the old 747 – the last of the proper airliners.
Cattle-class seating and shrinking legroom
I am only 1.80m, but even that is too tall for the seat room in cattle class these days…
My good lady is 1.83m, so same problem…
But my sons are all over 2m, and two of my grandkids are getting towards that length…
It’s difficult to book seats with extra legroom. One of my sons recently flew to and from Phnom Penh via Abu Dhabi. He had to pay an extra €300 for each leg of the journey – €1,200 in total – for an emergency exit seat. It’s a rip-off of the worst kind!
His worst experience, though, in Cambodia was when he caught an overnight bus from Siem Reap to Preah Sihanoukville. He had a bed that was only 1.60m long.
Last year my good lady and I flew to Lisbon from Rotterdam. Lisbon Airport is truly a hellhole, and we flew with Transavia, which has become really cattle-class seating… I said, “Never again”.
Unfortunately, the days of flying on 747s that were half-empty, when you could lie across the five seats in the middle, are well and truly over.
Overcrowding, tourism and declining quality of life
I simply do not understand why, when we know that global warming is such an issue, we continue to expand airports, build cruise ships and encourage tourism.
Cramming more and more people on a plane is part of that.
Last night here in southern Spain it was 30 degrees when we went to bed at midnight. We are preparing for a fiercely hot summer. We are among the lucky ones who can afford air conditioning, solar panels and a pool. I wonder how the average Spanish family without these things will manage. In previous years, increased demand from the heat and from tourists has led to water shortages and power cuts. That’s why we have a water depósito and solar batteries.
And no, tourism doesn’t raise the standard of living for many. Tourists want luxury accommodation; it is those who own big hotels and build marinas who profit.
Thirty-seven years ago my husband and I honeymooned on the small Greek island of Paxos. We rented a basic little house from a local lady. We ate at restaurants owned by locals. We lapped up the local culture and, mainly, made friends.
I looked at that same island recently. It’s all changed. Luxury hotels offer inclusive packages with “international” food.
I wonder what has happened to the locals who made their living through tourism originally?
Same where we live. When we arrived here 16 years ago, most restaurants were locally owned, with some good food and varied menus. Now most have been taken over by chains of some sort. Some only open in summer. You couldn’t tell one from another from the menu, and they don’t care about customers.
My husband is 6ft 5in. I am 5ft 11in. We are not allowed to sit in exit rows because we are old. Even when we tried to book extra legroom, it didn’t work out.
Result: days spent recovering from the flight. It’s not worth it. Haven’t flown since January 2008.
Flying cattle class has to be endured
Welcome to the wonderful world of flying cattle class. That is a bit of a misnomer, as cattle being transported by air would be treated much better than humans currently are.
I, too, remember the days, not so long ago, when flying was pleasurable. All that pleasure has been sucked out and replaced with something that has to be endured, like a winter cold.
The majority of the blame for this situation lies with us all for opting for cheap flights. O’Leary & Co have given us in abundance what we all asked for.
So the choices now are basically: 1) suck it up; 2) pay for very expensive business-class travel; or 3) stop flying.
Pay more or stop travelling
There is only one solution to all this misery.
Be ready to pay (much) more and not less when flying, and you have got all the comfort you could possibly wish for, plus access to a lounge at the airport while waiting for boarding.
For the rest of us, don’t fly. Take the high-speed trains (like Eurostar, TGV and ICE) where available – or stop travelling.
Anyway, it is properly overcrowded wherever you can imagine going.
Flying is awful unless you pay for comfort
Flying is awful.
The only ways to mitigate the horrors of air travel are to always fly at least business class, book yourself into a private lounge at your airport of departure, be as nice as you can to everyone you meet – because airline and airport staff have become deeply unhappy over the last decade – and, if you can’t guarantee all of this, don’t travel.
If you must fly economy, firstly confirm that you really, unequivocally must make that trip, and always fly with a firm like BA. It’s not that they’re any better – they’re truly not – but the important part is that they are far more expensive than the budget airlines, and that ensures that the passengers you travel with probably won’t be the dregs of humanity you get on Ryanair and easyJet.
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.
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