This is something I have always wanted to know. What is that ONE thing that will drive you ABSOLUTELY nuts when you fly?

Screaming baby next to you? heavy person (requires 2 seats AND a seat belt extender), smelly person, talkative person, people who carry on kitchen sinks on the plane, group of kids (usually 25 or more), armrest hoggers...

Mine? Kids who can't stop kicking my seat from behind throughout the entire flight and their mothers who just don't care (especially when I had to get up at 4 AM for a 6 AM flight and need to get some shut eye).

Sitting in coach.

Ditto on the seat-kickers with the indifferent mothers. If I had dared to kick someone's seat when I was small, my mother would have wasted no time in kicking me!!!

I also hate the people in Y (yes, I slum it a lot) who think everything in the row is theirs. E.g., people who take all the pillows/ blankets, people who insist that you open/ close your air nozzle thingie, people in the aisle seat who insist that the window shade stays up/ down, etc.

I also really hate the people who board late and then make it your problem when their carryon crap won't fit in the overhead bins. At least a half-dozen times I've been asked by people who boarded late if I would mind checking my carryon so that theirs will fit. And then there was this one time when some girl was taking everything out that could conceivably fit under a seat and handing it to random people telling them to keep it under their seat (even though it wasn't theirs). Granted, I am all about storing stuff under your seat, but in this case, it was mostly stuff from people sitting in the bulkhead (i.e., no seat storage).

You may find this hard to believe, but we have multiple threads on each of these topics. What's more, they pop up anew every few weeks.

The Transportation Security Abomination, natch.

As I mentioned in another thread, someone grabbing my headrest. I am so fed up with that that I will loudly and aggressively confront people who are mindless enough to do it.

As a parent of a small child, I am acutely aware of his behaviour while flying. If he starts kicking the chair in front of him, he gets a stern warning and either my wife or I will lean over and apologize to the person in front. There is NO excuse for that kind of crap on a flight.

A.K.A. Thousands Standing Around

Turbulences while having my meal.

For me, it's those spelling quagmires. I can never decide if I abhor or adore them. When I just can't make up my mind, I adhor them.

I adhor your comment. Anyway, I will be in Denver for the first time in my life between 2/25 to 2/28/08. Any tips? Things I ABSOLUTELY must do? Mind you it has to be after 5 PM. Thank you!

Self-important, business-types who think they're the chit because of the free upgrade.

Arm rest hoggers .... they drive me up the wall!

Gate lice and paxs that have fat rolls that spill over into the next seat (see OP comment about sitting in Y).

All of the above. Also people who bring smelly food onboard, especially on smaller planes.

People who have to make a big deal that it is their first flight....especially when they are over the age of 12.

When the person is sitting next to me and says "this is my first time on a plane" I usually respond with "I've already done 20 flights this year and it's only February." I know, I'm mean, but if I don't stop it there, they must tell every single person who walks by that it is their first time on a plane.