Survey Uncovers US States With the Most, Least Irritable Travelers

by Noreen Kompanik
Last updated: 8:00 AM ET, Sun August 3, 2025

Travel isn’t perfect, and sometimes it can be a downright pain, and tempers can flare. Upgraded Points travel company’s latest study revealed that not all air travelers handle frustration in the same way.

The study surveyed over 2,000 U.S. air travelers to gauge inflight irritability. Using 21 behavioral and attitudinal metrics, respondents rated their annoyance in 11 common travel scenarios on a 1-to-5 scale, reporting actions like switching seats or complaining to staff and indicating how much they would pay for a child-free cabin. Responses were averaged and indexed via a 0 to 100 irritability level.

"Travel is meant to be an adventure, but even small hiccups can turn it into a headache," said Keri Stooksbury, editor-in-chief at Upgraded Points. "By finding the states where travelers lose their cool and those where they stay composed, we hope to encourage everyone to pack a bit more patience on their next flight."

States With the Most Irritable Travelers

Texas (79.4): Travelers reach peak annoyance after just 40 minutes of delay and tie for the shortest patience window nationwide. 33 percent have asked strangers to change their behavior midflight, and would pay an average of $207 to avoid sitting near children.
Florida (73.4): 26 percent of Florida travelers have lodged verbal complaints with airline staff. 56 percent would pay for a child-free zone, willing to spend $235 for the privilege.
New York (66.7): New Yorkers register an average irritation of 4 out of 5 across 11 pet-peeve scenarios. Flight delays (4.5) and personal-space violations (4.33) top the list and almost 60 percent would pay extra to avoid children.
California (64.7): 26 percent of Californians have requested behavior changes from fellow travelers, and 16 percent have argued with passengers or staff.
Illinois (57.8): 46 percent of Illinois travelers would purchase a child-free experience and would spend more than any other state to do so at $378.

States With the Least Irritable Travelers

Iowa (13.1): Iowa travelers report no inflight yelling or public complaints. Their annoyance at common inconveniences like crying babies and surprise fees stays in the low 3s.
Kansas (17.2): With a self-rated irritability of 1.94/5, only two percent of Kansans have switched seats to avoid a fellow passenger, and none have complained mid-journey.
Minnesota (17.3): Minnesotans tolerate an average 72-minute delay before irritation kicks in, the nation's longest patience window.
Nebraska (19.7): Nebraska boasts the lowest self-rated irritability at 1.81/5. None have switched seats or complained to staff, and they rate common annoyances like post-landing seat-storming at 2.5/5 and overhead bin hogging at 3/5 with minimal fuss.
New Hampshire (21.9): Composed travelers in New Hampshire report zero inflight outbursts or negative reviews and score 2.16/5 on confrontation likelihood. They do, however, prize personal space, rating overly close seatmates at 4.4/5, one of the highest in the study.