![Travel Destinations Ranked by Number of Irritable Tourists [2025 Statistical Analysis]](/en/content/images/size/w1280/format/webp/20250825004936_air-traveler-irritability-by.jpeg)
Data Analysis Reveals States with Highest and Lowest Frequencies of Traveler Agitation [2025 Research Insight]
In a recent survey of over 2,000 American travelers, Texas emerged as the state with the most irritable air travelers, while Iowa was found to be the calmest and least irritable. The composite irritability score, generated for each state, ranked them from most to least cranky.
Texas, with a score of 79.4 out of 100, indicates that Texas travelers get annoyed quickly, with 33% having asked strangers to change their behavior mid-flight. They would also pay around $207 on average to avoid sitting near children.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Iowa travelers report no inflight yelling or public complaints and display low annoyance even toward common inconveniences like crying babies and surprise fees, scoring just 13.1.
Other highly irritable states include Florida (73.4), New York (66.7), California (64.7), and Illinois (57.8). Travelers in these states complain frequently, are willing to pay to avoid children, and report high irritation from delays, personal space issues, and surprise fees.
Among the least irritable states, Kansas also ranks low (score 17.2), with very few travelers complaining or changing seats to avoid others. Nebraska has the fourth lowest composite irritability score (19.7), with Nebraskans tolerating common pet peeves, such as people jumping up after landing (2.5 out of 5) or hogging the overhead bin (3 out of 5), with minimal annoyance.
The survey focused on 11 common air travel scenarios, including delayed flights, noisy children, and passengers hogging overhead bin space. One of the most frustrating aspects of flying, according to the respondents, was surprise fees, with an annoyance score of 4.31 out of 5.
Interestingly, passengers reclining into your area received a score of 3.82, while travelers who remove their shoes or socks during the flight earned a relatively mild score of 3.64 out of 5.
Work travelers were nearly 4 times more likely than leisure travelers to ask strangers to modify their behavior. On average, it takes just 47 minutes of delay before the typical traveler begins to feel irritated. A significant 41% of respondents said they would pay extra for a designated quiet or kid-free zone.
In Iowa, travelers appear unflappable, with none of the respondents reporting yelling or posting complaints during a trip. New Hampshire has the fifth lowest composite irritability score (21.9), with New Hampshire travelers scoring just 2.16 out of 5 on the confrontation scale.
Minnesota has the third lowest composite irritability score (17.3), with travelers in Minnesota tolerating 72 minutes of delay before irritation kicks in, the longest of any state.
In summary, Texas travelers are the most irritable air travelers based on pet peeves and behaviors, while Iowa travelers are the calmest and least irritable according to recent data.
Texas travelers, with a high irritability score of 79.4, are prone to asking strangers to change their behavior during flights and are willing to pay $207 to avoid sitting near children. On the other hand, Iowa travelers, who exhibit the least irritability (scoring 13.1), rarely complain, even in the face of common inconveniences like crying babies or surprise fees.
