Loud kids’ parents ranked worst fliers

If you are a parent who lets your children scream and go nuts on a plane, congratulations — you top the list of most annoying etiquette violators in the air.

Parents who travel with loud children are considered more annoying than passengers who kick the seat in front of them and travelers with foul odors. Even fliers who take off their shoes and socks in the airtight cabin are less offensive, according to a survey of 1,001 Americans by the travel website Expedia.

Annoying children and their parents were ranked by 41 percent of those surveyed as the most annoying airplane etiquette violators. So it was no surprise that 49 percent of Americans surveyed said they would pay extra to be seated in a designated "quiet zone," free of screaming children, the survey found.

But the survey pointed out some hypocrisy: Travelers who fully recline their seats were ranked as the seventh worst violation even though 80 percent of travelers acknowledged they fully recline their seat at some point in the flight.

"Most of us, when we look at the list of offending behaviors, can admit to having committed one or more of these violations," said John Morrey, general manager of Expedia.

Conventions raise hotel room prices

Here’s a tip on how to save lots of money on a hotel room: Don’t book a room when a big convention is in town.

As with all other industries, hotels boost rates when demand increases.

The average hotel rate in San Francisco jumped to $272 a night for the period Dec. 10 to 14, a 75 percent increase compared with earlier in the month, according to the travel website Trivago.

The hike came when three major conventions — for geophysicists, online and mobile executives and construction experts — rolled into town.

"Travelers should generally be careful about booking a hotel at the time that a big convention is in town," Trivago spokeswoman Katie Merrill said.

Meanwhile, hotel rates have increased no more than 12 percent in December at the most popular U.S. travel destinations surveyed by Trivago.

In Los Angeles, hotel prices for December are up 9 percent from the same month last year, according to the travel site.

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Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times