German air passengers are among Europe’s most considerate and cooperative travellers, willing to help where needed and boasting a high level of shared etiquette, according to a new study by Opodo.
Opodo‘s parent company, the eDreams ODIGEO Group, teamed up with eDreams, GO Voyages, Travellink, and Liligo to analyse the social behaviour or more than 9,000 airline passengers across Europe and the United States, and found that Germany places among the highest-ranking countries for in-flight helpfulness.
Helping with luggage
Some 86% of travellers in Germany actively help fellow passengers store hand luggage during boarding, placing Germany among the highest-ranking countries for in-flight helpfulness – 40% say that they ‘always’ help, while 46% state that they are willing to help, depending on the situation.
Elsewhere, some 41% of German passengers said armrests in middle seats should be shared cooperatively with neighbouring passengers, while a similar percentage (41%) appreciate exchanging conversation with their neighbours. 31% prefer to keep interactions brief so they could relax during the journey.
For 72% of respondents, body odour was considered the biggest onboard annoyance, reflecting one of the highest sensitivities to personal freshness among surveyed markets. Abruptly reclining seats was another major frustration, with 47% saying sudden seat movements negatively affected their experience.
The report also found changing attitudes toward longstanding flight traditions. Applause after landing, once considered divisive, is now largely tolerated by passengers – some 14% of German respondents describe it as irritating.
Comfort above the clouds
“The current study clearly shows that comfort above the clouds depends heavily on the interactions within the cabin,” commented Betty Lemeßier, communications and PR manager DACH/Nordics at eDreams ODIGEO.
“The fact that passengers in Germany rely so heavily on cooperation during boarding and seat allocation demonstrates a high degree of mutual consideration. Small gestures of helpfulness are key to a relaxed flight experience for the vast majority of travellers.”
The survey was carried out online by research institute OnePoll between October 14 and 27, 2025, among adults who had flown within the previous five years across Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the UK and the US. Read more here.
