America’s Naughtiest Travel Habits 2026

When we travel, we typically want a peaceful, relaxing experience. Unfortunately, that is not always the reality, especially when traveling via plane. What should be an uneventful stretch of time leisurely reading a book in the terminal turns into a headache-inducing epoch as talkative passengers have lively exchanges on speakerphone. The window seat, which should be a peaceful escape, is now a confined space, trapping you in the smell of food that a nearby passenger brought on the flight. In moments like these, many travelers turn to simple, quiet distractions—reading, listening to music, or even playing a quick game of solitaire—to tune out the chaos and reclaim a bit of calm.

At Solitaire Bliss, we understand that sometimes people exhibit naughty travel behaviors, and while we can’t stop them, we can offer you a game to help distract you from it all. For the past two years, we have surveyed Americans to learn about behaviors people both witness and admit to doing themselves while flying. As peak summer travel grows closer, we decided to conduct our study once again.

To do this, we surveyed residents in each state to learn which naughty travel habits they have done, what behaviors they’ve witnessed, how frequently they witness these behaviors, which airlines they associate with poor travel behaviors, and more. We then awarded points to behaviors respondents admit to doing and calculated a naughty travel habits score for each state on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most naughty. Read on to learn where the biggest culprits reside.

Key Takeaways

• Washington, Arizona, and New York residents have the naughtiest travel habits.
• Putting bags on seats in the terminal and reclining seats without asking are the most common travel habits Americans admit to.
• Reclining seats without asking and putting bags on seats in the terminal are the most common habits Americans witness while traveling.
• 80% of Americans feel airline etiquette has declined in recent years.
• Spirit and Southwest are the most common airlines Americans associate with naughty travel habits.

The States with the Naughtiest Travelers

While people all across the country are guilty of naughty travel habits from time to time, some states’ residents are bigger culprits than others. Leading the way with a naughty travel habits score of 97.90 out of 100 is Washington.

When it comes to specific behaviors, we found that Washington residents are the most likely to recline their seat without asking and clipping or filing nails on a plane. Similarly, Washington residents are the most likely to admit they've changed their behavior on a flight because they were worried someone might film them and post it online.

Coming in second place with a score of 92.60 out of 100 is Arizona where residents are most likely to admit they’ve not put their phone on airplane mode, overindulged in drugs, and engaged in verbal confrontations with others.

Following closely behind are New York (91.77), Utah (91.08), and Tennessee (87.60), claiming third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively. Overall, Nevada residents are the most likely to frequently observe bad behaviors when flying. When it comes to changes in travel behavior, Georgia and Tennessee residents are the most likely to feel airline etiquette has declined in recent years.

Habits Americans Witness and Admit to Doing Themselves

After learning which states are home to the naughtiest travelers, we turned our attention to the bad behaviors Americans are most guilty of themselves. Up first with 62.7% of people admitting to it is putting bags on seats in the terminal. While it may not be a big deal in an empty terminal, leaving your luggage on a seat can take away a seat from someone else, forcing them to stand when terminals are busier.

Coming in second place for the most common habits are reclining seats without asking (48.1%). When it comes to adjusting your seat on a plane, many Americans are split as to whether it requires permission or if it’s simply your right. Whether you’re among those who ask or those who don’t, experts share the key is to be mindful of the social and situational context before reclining your seat.

Up next as the third most common naughty habit is not putting your phone on airplane mode, which 44.9% of people admit to. While modern aircraft technology makes it unlikely that a cell phone could interfere with a plane, regulations still require passengers to set phones to airplane mode, making it important to follow guidelines.

This is followed by passing gas on the plane (39.6%), asking to switch seats (38.4%), and leaving garbage in a seat pocket (36.6%) as the fourth, fifth, and sixth most common behaviors Americans admit to doing while flying.

In addition to the behaviors respondents admit to themselves, we also wanted to gain insight into the habits they’ve witnessed. Overall, we found that Americans are most likely to associate naughty habits with Spirit and Southwest.

When it comes to specific behaviors, the most commonly witnessed is travelers reclining their seat without asking, which 86.3% of people report. This is followed by people putting their bags on seats in the terminal (85.6%) in second place and travelers using their phone loudly in the terminal (84.8%) in third place.

Coming in fourth place is people asking to switch seats on a plane (82.8%). While it can be common to ask passengers to switch seats to sit closer to a loved one, there is no requirement for a person to give up their seat. Even still, these requests have led to many travelers being berated by others for refusing to swap, even leading to them being recorded with videos going viral on social media.

Distract Yourself While Flying with Solitaire

Flying can be a stressful experience. Making sure you have enough underwear packed for your trip, double checking that your passport is in your bag, and arriving at the airport early enough to avoid delays at TSA. The list goes on and on.

While we can’t check off your packing list as you load your suitcase or make the security line move any faster, we at Solitaire Bliss can offer you a way to unwind once you reach the terminal. With free online games like Spider Solitaire and FreeCell, you can escape the chaos around you and enter a relaxing game instead. So next time you’re feeling stressed out by the naughty travel behaviors around you, allow Solitaire Bliss to distract you.

Methodology

In this study, we set out to learn where Americans are guilty of the naughtiest travel habits while flying. To do this, we surveyed residents in each state and asked about the behaviors they are guilty of, what behaviors they've witnessed, the airlines they associate with bad travel habits, and more. We then awarded a point to each behavior respondents admitted to and calculated the average score by state. We then adjusted scores on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the naughtiest travelers.