How to fly budget airlines: five ways to cope with air rage, delays, and bad in-flight service

Being a frequent flier in economy class on one of the growing numbers of Asia’s less prestigious short-haul carriers can be a stressful experience.

One passenger on China Eastern Airlines was so desperate to exit the aircraft while waiting at Sanya Phoenix International airport on China’s Hainan Island in 2014, he activated the emergency slide.

Jonathan Bricker of the University of Washington developed the world’s first Air Travel Stress Scale (ATSS). “The uniquely uncontrollable and impersonal qualities of the air travel environment may make it difficult for individuals to choose adaptive ways to cope with their stress reactions,” he says.

Bricker suggests stressed air travellers are more likely to use unhealthy coping strategies, such as substance use (drinking too much) or venting (air rage).

So before you head off, begin by managing your expectations when flying on the cheap. A thirsty passenger on Singapore’s Scoot Airlines reported on the airline’s Facebook page this month that his request for some drinking water resulted in him being handed a cup full of ice cubes and told to wait for them to melt.