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Stupid things people do at the airport

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I've got to get this one off my chest now because having just come back from a busy Airport, Luton in this case, I can see why some people might dread flying off somewhere on holiday.

Airports are busy places and some people do the stupidest things there.  What gives, do they all leave their brains' at home when they take off for a holiday?

Its bad enough having to put up with delayed or worse still cancelled flights, youngsters running amok in the departure lounge and the general incompetence of airport staff.  . But when we have to deal with the real bozos and air heads as well it tends to lead to a completely new level of frustration.

Baggage trolleys aren't difficult to operate

Lets start with baggage trolleys, these things aren't difficult to operate, so why do some people insist on dumping them in stupid places, just park them in the bay when you're done with them.  And why do the continually nudge you with them when you're waiting to check in.  It doesn't speed the process up?  You're not going to get to the desk any quicker by shunting me with that thing!

Where you can shove that trolley madam! Okay you've checked in and you're flight is on time so you head off for departures and go through airport security.  Why do people stand in the queue for the security check for 15 minutes and then remove their coat and empty their pockets only when they get to the security scanner?  You have to stand there and watch as person after person does this, when they get to the scanner they look surprised when they are asked to remove there coats.  This just annoys me no end, don't they want to get to the bar?

The sad thing is, you have to go through all this again at the other end. You make your way to the baggage reclaim area only to be faced with lemmings that crush up as close to carousel as possible in the hope that they can snatch their luggage before anyone else.  Now this conveyer belt snakes up and down the room for miles, and yet they just must cram themselves right up to the door where the baggage falls onto the belt. Why do they do this?  Do they think someone is about to run off with their duty free if their bag has to move more than three feet away from the door?  Please ladies and gentlemen, lets have some sanity in the terminal building!!


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Samson (Delilah's too busy to post)

Samson (Delilah's too busy to post)

During my career I have taken literally hundreds of flights for business reasons. In my experience the worst thing in an airport is the "occasional tourist". They drive me mad!

A few choice examples:-
1. There are approximately 17000 signs at security telling you to remove laptops from bags, take of belts, empty pockets etc. Why do they get to the belt and appear to be unaware of this?
2. Once airside they lose the ability to walk in any given direction for more than two steps without changing direction. I swear they are like a child on their first visit to a funfair. There is so much to distract them that they don't know what to do first. Shopping (rip-off) or the pub at 8am. It's a toughie!
3. You've all seen this one......I've got children and therefore need to go to the front of the queue for boarding. Why? Is it not better that all the unimpaired travellers get on first so that you're not holding them up whilst you sort the kids out? You chose to have children so why do you think they entitle you to special privileges?
4. A business traveller gets on a plane, finds their seat, throws their bag in the overhead locker and sits down. Miraculously the aisle is then clear quickly. The tourist however has to search the bottom of their bag for their bottle of water, cheese and pickle sandwich and sudoku book. Meanwhile everyone else has to wait for them to clear their arris out of the aisle. Why can't you just put your bag up and sit down so that others can board. Once everyone is on then you can do your adjustments.
5. Up and down like a wh*res drawers! They drank so much in the terminal they are constantly going to the toilets. What is it about aeroplanes that gives people weak bladders?

I feel better for that.
12/08/14 Samson (Delilah's too busy to post)
0
Airport Technological Nightmare

Airport Technological Nightmare

The stupidest things at the airports are a technology designed and invented by the braindead, the new e-passport gates. They are so slooowww! Why? So completely unuser friendly

They are slow because, contrary to belief, automatic facial recognition technology simply does not work; behind all the fancy gates, is a real person looking at your passport in the scanner, and checking it with your face using CCTV; the exception is that this one person is having to check 5 people at once, making the whole process sloooowww!

Strip them out. They are a gross waste of money. Introduce the Schengen zone to UK, and stop bothering with passports altogether in the EU.
10/02/14 Airport Technological Nightmare
-2
sara

sara

...Check-in agents. Although no doubt there is some fancy consultant-speak self-glorifying appellation they give themselves. International Air Transportation Client Interfacing Executives might be a start....

thank you for the help
22/03/11 sara
4
MikeP

MikeP

"what do the people work on the airport check-in desk are called?"

Check-in agents. Although no doubt there is some fancy consultant-speak self-glorifying appellation they give themselves. International Air Transportation Client Interfacing Executives might be a start.
22/03/11 MikeP
4
sara

sara

im curious .. what do the people work on the airport check-in desk are called?
22/03/11 sara
-18
jenny

jenny

hahaha lol,this is kind of true,im on your side!
want more stuff like this.....
keep it up !!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Jennyfer Richards
26/01/11 jenny
-23
Chrstoper Marson

Chrstoper Marson

Hehe, you think the same as I. The problem we have here is human nature; a me, me, me culture of I'm ok Jack and sod everyone else I come first which is clearly displayed when the plane lands and there is a split second instance of people un-clipping their seatbelts and standing up just seconds after the plane stops, you are then doomed to wait till the whole aircraft empties as no one will let you into the que to get off the flight, they are not exactly going anywhere other than security and baggage claim, it's not like you can even get off the ptane and have a cigarette these days.. so no rush.. just take your time and of course be civil to your other passengers. The other thing that gets my goat is children pushing your seat, Parents don't seem to have any control or actually want to control their offspring, I remember a flight from Glasgow to Toronto with some kid insisting he wanted to be my friend for 6 hours of the whole flight... including how hard he could punch, in the end I had to get the steward to put him back in his seat.. all his mother did was sit there smiling instead of saying ... Johnny, leave that poor man alone.. no... for 6 hours I was this little demons child minder.. obviously, I am more vocal these days but in all of that... for new travellers reading this post... respect your passengers and keep your kids in order!.. that's all we ask.....
21/01/11 Chrstoper Marson
1
Eman

Eman

"Yes, and you forgot to mention the cattle-market grids that you have to zig-zag interminally up and down until you can show off your passport photo. A simple duck & dive would do the trick near the end of the rows - but there may be a punitive fine for displaying common sense."

Yes, I find the snaking walk a real insult and the duck and dive is hardly dignified either. Still the chaos without those queue paths would be way more stressful.
18/06/10 Eman
-10
Chris.

Chris.

I encountered a polish woman about 5ft 1 that looked at me and said "next" for going through the metal detector. She was part of security. As I stepped through, she jumped into me while trying in vain to push me back through the detector and told me she didn't say for me to go through, even though she looked and nodded when saying "Next".

I told her to be more precise and clear of her instructions next time. She yelled at me telling me that I needed to pay attention next time.

By this time I have my Partner hanging off my arm telling me to let her have her little moment of power. The polish security lady with no grasp of the English language now has 3 big burley men behind her edging toward me telling me to calm down or they will remove me from the airport...

I told them that it was her lack of clear communication in the first place and assulting me in the first place that was the problem. Obviously, they ignored me and sad I pushed her.

Told them to hire someone that understood english and didn't have the "im a short woman with power over tall men" ego.

Anyway, I walked through again to the woman looking at me. Put on my trainers and had her again, state that "I needed to listen next time". To which a narrowminded me, said "learn English and learn how to do your job". Walked off with a smug look on my face and a furious girlfriend yelling in my ear.

Bliss lol.

Ahhhh. That's now off my chest.
23/04/10 Chris.
7
grumpyoldwoman

grumpyoldwoman

Then there's all the signs which ask you to take your passport out of any fancy leather case you keep it in. Loads of people manage to ignore these signs until they get to the desk & hold everyone else up a bit more!
02/07/09 grumpyoldwoman
-4
Scottie Macbeth

Scottie Macbeth

Yes, and you forgot to mention the cattle-market grids that you have to zig-zag interminally up and down until you can show off your passport photo. A simple duck & dive would do the trick near the end of the rows - but there may be a punitive fine for displaying common sense.
15/06/09 Scottie Macbeth
-7
Sam

Sam

Totally Agree! It really annoys me at customs on return and everyone waits in the queue to have the passports checked, and there's always the person at the front who can't find their passport...
10/05/09 Sam
5
Steve

Steve

Hell yeah! What I think is it is, is that they think Oh if we get our stuff first..... We'll have a longer holiday........ Errr yeah...you wish.
20/04/09 Steve
-1
Parbhoe - Rosan

Parbhoe - Rosan

I have left 3 pieces of bangles (special luck) in the basket at the scan desk. Can I please declare these when Ireturn on 4 april 2009.
01/04/09 Parbhoe - Rosan
5
Ceejay

Ceejay

Why is it that as the majority of people going through airports (esp. now with budget travel) are economy passengers they are bombarded with the most expensive shopping imaginable. These so-called designer shops hardly have anybody in them because of their prices. Surely it's basic economics to have more affordable high-street retailers in these places?
17/03/09 Ceejay
-3

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