A survey of more than 700 cabin crew members from 85 countries has revealed their perfect airline passenger, and it’s a surprising result.

The biggest gripe for a quarter of cabin crew is passengers who click their fingers at them to get their attention

The perfect passenger, according to cabin crew, is male; he travels alone for pleasure rather than business, he’s in his 30s and is European.

And he’s not a celebrity, or at least not one who would travel premium class, as economy passengers top the perfect passenger survey.

The survey by global travel search site Skyscanner also revealed that for cabin crew operating in UK airspace, it’s Englishmen who are overwhelmingly voted as perfect passenger, with over half the vote.

Cabin crew are in the unique position to meet and greet people from all walks of life. However, with nearly three million people sitting in the sky every day, some regular habits and requests can understandably get under their skin more than others.

According to the survey, the biggest gripe for a quarter of cabin crew (26 per cent) is passengers who click their fingers at them to get their attention.

Other annoying habits at 30,000 feet include the scramble to leave the plane before the seat belt signs are switched off (13 per cent), passengers trying to cram too much hand baggage in the overhead lockers (11 per cent), and one in 10 say their pet peeve is when passengers talk through the safety demonstration, suggesting that many frequent flyers do not pay attention in spite of increasing requests by cabin staff to do to.

Stuffing rubbish in the seat compartments (seven per cent) also completed the list of cabin crew gripes.

Skyscanner’s Sam Poullain said: “This is the first time we’ve surveyed international cabin crew and the findings give us a real insight into what they really think of passengers.

“It must be frustrating for cabin crew when passengers try and cram as much hand baggage in the overhead locker as humanly possible, however carrying only hand luggage can save passengers quite a lot of money as the cost of putting baggage in the hold can be very expensive. Unless airlines charge less for hold luggage, I don’t see this changing.”

The perfect passenger

• Male
• Travelling alone
• Age 31-40
• Sitting in Economy
• Reason for travel: leisure

The 10 most annoying habits of air passengers, according to cabin crew

1. Clicking fingers to get their attention.
2. Leaving their seat before the fasten seatbelt light goes off.
3. Stuffing too many bags into the overhead locker.
4. Complaining that there’s no space for their bag in the locker.
5. Talking during the safety demonstration.
6. Asking for more blankets/pillows.
7. Stuffing rubbish in the seat pocket.
8. Asking for a different meal.
9. Ringing the attendant bell to complain about the temperature.
10. Asking for a specific brand of drink.