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As New Year's Eve approaches thousands of Brits are readying themselves to leave the country to roar in 2010.

For most this will involve getting on a plane -- a horrible epxerience at the best of times, but with snow forecast and increased security thanks to this bozzo, it's going to be tough going, at best.

So, we've had a think about the worst passengers you could wind up sat next to, when all you want to do is sleep. Check them out, after the jump. And no, wannabe terrorists aren't common enough to make our list.

Read more, right here.


11. The New Friend
This person makes you feel like a right misery. Why do they make you feel like a grump? Because you hate him.

He's just being friendly but, you know, you don't want to be friendly. You just feel like closing your eyes and vegging out for the trip, but the guy next to you has apparently never seen another person and is very excited to tell you his whole life story, no matter how many hours it takes.

10. Mr. Mob
You've probably gone to a movie with this guy too and, if you're lucky, you spotted him at a hospital. He's the guy who's on a call that's extremely important. So important, he can't stop talking just yet, so the plane is going to have to wait a moment.

9. Last-Minute Passenger
Humans, as a species, don't like sitting next to each other on any form of mass transit. It's biological. So if you have a free seat next to you, you guard it like it was made of pure gold. This gold tarnishes quickly, however, once everyone seems to be seated and you're just starting to relax and that last person arrives to squeeze past you, take his seat and keep bumping you off the arm rest.

8. The Big Bag
Sadly, there's a reason airlines limit the size of carry-on luggage -- it's because there's only so much room in the cabin to jam that stuff. Still, there's always that one person with an amorphous duffel bag of loot who's willing to try to cram it in the overhead for about 15 minutes until a flight attendant has to talk him down, at which point he'll simply sit with it in his lap and God help anyone who dares to try to get past him for the rest of the trip.

7. The Sleeper
For some of us, sleeping in public whilst surrounded by strangers can never and will never happen and the rest of us appreciate that. However, other people seem to lose consciousness at the drop of a hat and are kind enough to snort, shuffle and drool their way from Gatwick to Grenada while the rest of us try to avoid the fallout.

6. The Puker
It's hard to blame someone for getting airsick, but on the other hand Pepto Bismol has existed for ages and those in-flight barf bags are mostly just for show, aren't they? In any event, in a tiny, pressurised cabin with no chance of escape, puking is one of the top three most awful things you can possibly do.

5. Shoeless Joe
While we understand that some flights are long, some are overnight and you want to relax as much as you can, the plane is not your bathroom. It's not your bedroom, your living room or your gym. So keep your shoes on so the rest of us don't have to experience your funk. And if you snore, try to invest in some Breathe Right strips.

4. Hungry Man
Few things incite more dread than being on a flight with dinner service if you don't know the person next to you. Sure, everything might go off without a hitch, or you may be lucky enough to be sitting next to the guy who digs into his meal like a starved wolverine, chewing and talking with his mouth open, maybe letting loose the odd bout of appreciative gas, all within six inches of your entire body.

3. The Rummager
This person has carry-on luggage but apparently has no idea what he packed and/or just wants a quick refresher. So instead of sitting, he stands in front of you -- in front of everyone in line behind you -- and rustles through the bag before tossing it in the overhead. This becomes even more enjoyable if all he was looking for was some Chapstick. The plane can wait, no worries. Your lips look dry.

2. The Squatter
There are countless tales of what untoward events take place in airplane toilets but the fact of the matter is, when you actually need to use the toilet and someone's been in there for 15 minutes, all of that becomes the most annoying, awful thing ever.

1. Deaf by Headphones
Some people apparently have never seen or used headphones outside of the cabin of a plane and are somewhat unfamiliar with the etiquette required. As such, when they need a flight attendant, they will be forced to yell at extremely high volume since they are quite unaware of just how loud they are. Likewise, if they're near you and require something, you'll be the victim of their high-decibel onslaught.