Showing butt cracks, chest hair and other travel don'ts

MANILA, Philippines - Guess what can ruin air travel for passengers? It’s not so different from what people find offensive or annoying on land. Men revealing their builder’s bums scored 28 percent in a survey by leading global travel search site Skyscanner. Women wearing low-cut clothes, however, weren’t found so offensive.

They recently conducted a survey revealing which specific faux pas international airline passengers find the most offensive. The global study with respondents from Europe, North America and Asia, lists the top 10 attributes that irks travelers most about their fellow travelers — and provides some pointers on what travelers should avoid doing the next time they hop on a plane for another holiday adventure.

Too Much Skin

What Filipinos call a “walking coin slot machine” tops the list as the most offensive, taking 28 percent of the votes. According to the survey, the buttock cleavage — the exposure of the cleft between a man’s buttocks, normally due to ill-fitting trousers and careless bending over — is the No. 1 airline passenger pet peeve.

Midriffs and unsightly beer bellies — a common sight due to the popularity of tight-fitting and cropped tops — is another instance of skin exposure that made it to the top 10 most offensive list, getting 18 percent of votes.

By comparison, the Skyscanner survey showed that ladies with low-cut tops actually caused little offense, taking just four percent of the votes, while the exposure of chest hair among men only got two percent.

Another typical turn-off for passengers is poor hygiene. Two hours or more in a cramped space and sitting next to someone with “sweat patches on clothes” was voted second most offensive, getting 22 percent of the votes.

Many passengers are also very critical regarding certain style choices. Offensive statement T-shirts made it to No. 4 (12 percent) while the awkward white-socks-and-sandals was voted No. 5 (nine percent).

Noisy jewelry, football shirts, and the ubiquitous tsinelas or rubber flip-flops also made the list.

Here are most offensive attributes of passengers on planes as revealed in the Skyscanner survey:

1. Men revealing builder’s bums (28 percent)

2. Sweat patches on clothes (22 percent)

3. Midriff/beer belly on show (18 percent)

4. Offensive logos on T-shirts (12 percent)

5. White socks and sandals (9 percent)

6. Ladies with low cut tops displaying cleavage (4 percent)

7. Men with hairy chest on show (2 percent)

8. Noisy jewelry (2 percent)

9. Football shirts (1 percent)

10. Flip flops (0.5 percent)

Others (1.5 percent)

 “The result of the survey shows the unique viewpoints and attitudes of a diverse group of air travelers,” said Janet Ranola, market development manager for Skyscanner in the Philippines. Being well-informed on what their passengers find offensive and properly communicating these in friendly travel guidelines is a best practice for airlines. “It helps keep customers happy,” Ranola noted.