Layovers can
test the mettle of any traveler. Most folks are anxious to reach their
destinations so that they can prepare for a business meeting, begin celebrations
with family members, or simply collapse in those favorite chairs where naps
take place. Still, killing time in an airport terminal, as well as on planes,
is a fact of travel. The hours pass easier if an individual observes the folks
around him.
Once in the line at the x-ray machines, customers are even
more perturbed when they have to empty pockets, take off shoes and belts,
extricate laptops, and then walk through a machine that might beep for no
apparent reason. Some are selected to pass through a special machine that reveals
everything,. It’s at times like these that people hate terrorists the most.
The gate areas are also sites of some amusing behaviors.
Folks spread out in rows of chairs. They pack seats on either side so that
other passengers aren’t able to sit close to them. That’s okay until a full flight
packs the area with folks and no seats are available.
At the same time, people jockey for positions close to
recharging stations. There they plug in several electronic devices without the
least bit of regard for others who might need to charge their phones or iPads
or iPods, or laptops. Unable to find at least one outlet, miffed individuals
fume and glare at energy hogs.
When the boarding procedure begins, some of the worst things
about folks come out. First class passengers walk to the front of the line and
are swept on board as if they are royalty. The huddled masses yearning to board
curse under their breaths and wish they had the money and clout to be first in
line.
Oh, plenty of coach class folks have their strategies as
well. Too many of them cut through the waiting crowd and forge to the front of
the boarding line. They show no regard for other passengers, and if they are
thwarted in their efforts to get in front, they take offense. Some even look as
if they are prepared to fight anyone who blocks the way.
On board, space is at a premium. Flyers who are too cheap to
check a bag lug on board “small suitcases” that hold their every possession.
They swing heavy bags up to the overhead luggage compartment and cram them in.
Then they stuff a second “personal bag” that contains the overrun from the
first bag. Women also carry a purse the size of a shopping bag. Anyone who
boards toward the back of the line either must check his carry-on or must try
to cram it into remaining spaces.
Invariably, the flight must wait on a couple of passengers
who are running late. A full travel roster sits in seats with no leg room and
even less fanny room until some inconsiderate moron comes aboard. More time is
wasted as the late arriver searches for space for bags.
Frequent fliers know the unwritten rules of getting off a
plane. No one goes until the people in front have moved. However, at least one
jerk always jumps out of his seat, grabs his bag(s) from the compartment and
almost sprints to front. Quick-thinking passengers sometimes stand in front of
him to block the way, while others stare at him and shoot arrows of hatred his
way.
Even after the flight has landed, passengers offer one last
unflattering look at themselves. It comes at the baggage carousel. Every bag is
going to come down the shoot. Still, some knock others out of the way so they
can stand in front of the opening to get their suitcases. Never mind that the
carousel winds along so that
plenty of room is available for all. Once the bag
arrives, these people who must think they are too important or too busy to wait
grab and swing them off the conveyor. If a person is in the way, luggage or golf
clubs or some other object strikes him,
and he is lucky to receive even a simple “excuse me” from the offender.
Flying is faster than driving a car, or at least
it’s not as tiring. However, it is not without trials. To be honest, flying
would be sheer joy if it weren’t for other passengers
No comments:
Post a Comment