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Original poster

Annoying people in the airport/plane

154 replies

PolkaDotMankini · 08/04/2023 09:14

I bloody hate early flights. I don't have the patience to deal with people that early in the morning. This morning's experience included:

  • People walking really slowly in groups through the airport, so no one else could get round them, stopping dead every so often to consult with each other about where to get breakfast
  • The people sitting behind me on the plane talking the entire way, including through the safety briefing
  • The person playing crappy music on their phone speaker
  • The person whistling on the plane. Whistling FFS

Only an hour-long flight and I can get off now, thank goodness.

OP posts:
MattDamon · 08/04/2023 15:31

Last time I flew I was in the boarding seating area when a family of parents, grandparents, and a gaggle of kids decided to face time everyone the relatives they were on the way to visit.

The kids were running wild around the chairs, so grandad would shout at them and hold up the phone and the kids would shout back and the person on the other end of the phone would shout something and on and on.

It went on for twenty minutes. With at least 200 people being forced to listen.

Notanothernewname · 08/04/2023 15:39

Who are you all flying with?! All three of my trips last year were fine, other than a couple constantly arguing but hey they were on the flight back too and still arguing 😂. The child who was crying behind me smiled when I started smiling and pulling faces at them.

There are people who haven't flown in a while who may not know the rules on liquids or separating stuff (my parents flew for the first time in 20 odd years last year). Give people some slack.

If you have nothing better to do than complain about people having a drink before a flight maybe you need a drink to loosen up a bit. Just a thought!

If you hate the whole airport/flying experience why do you bother going.

usernother · 08/04/2023 15:40

Twike · 08/04/2023 15:20

@usernother Is it now? Well we don't need blue badges then. We can all just eyeball them and decide if they're worthy or not. Of course you can't sodding always tell! Good grief! My dad had MS among various other ailments that made him slow and confused. There were a good few years when you "couldn't tell by looking." It didn't mean he wasn't struggling. But nice to know a bunch of people were sat there thinking how awful he was for being slow or steadying himself on a chair. People really are just awful.

I'm not talking about people who are really slow, older or need to steady themselves on a chair. Those are the people who it's obvious have mobility issues. You know exactly the kind of people I'm talking about.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Flying Holidays
usernother · 08/04/2023 15:48

Notanothernewname · 08/04/2023 15:39

Who are you all flying with?! All three of my trips last year were fine, other than a couple constantly arguing but hey they were on the flight back too and still arguing 😂. The child who was crying behind me smiled when I started smiling and pulling faces at them.

There are people who haven't flown in a while who may not know the rules on liquids or separating stuff (my parents flew for the first time in 20 odd years last year). Give people some slack.

If you have nothing better to do than complain about people having a drink before a flight maybe you need a drink to loosen up a bit. Just a thought!

If you hate the whole airport/flying experience why do you bother going.

No complaints about people having a drink before a flight. I have a couple myself. I have a problem with those who get really drunk, and shout and swear and argue on the flight. On one flight the hen party in front of me were downing neat the many vodka miniatures they'd pinched from the Lounge

InMySpareTime · 08/04/2023 15:48

Had a horrific flight last week. You'd think a very late evening flight (landing in the early hours) would be fairly quiet, but it was about 1/3 full of large families with overtired babies and toddlers. The flight attendant had to give a stern warning about children staying in the seats during takeoff, as there were several toddlers hurtling up and down the aisle as we took off.
Then inevitably the pressure change upset the babies, who woke the toddlers, and a chorus of crying accompanied the whole medium-haul flight. I managed about half an hour sleep with headphones in, but was knackered for days afterwards.
I don't blame anyone, it's not the children's fault they were flying at that unearthly hour, and there aren't that many flight options for the route I took, but it was still a deeply unpleasant flight.

RedToothBrush · 08/04/2023 15:55

Anyone who can't cope with airport security and is baffled by having to put things in the trays. Yes you have to take out your laptop, yes and your liquids, yes you have to empty your pockets, yes you have to take off your boots.

It's not rocket science but you would think this of most of the Airport Zombies.

Also anyone who claps when the plane lands should be banned from all future flights.

maddy68 · 08/04/2023 15:58

I don't understand the anger at people reclining their seats. Recline yours then you have exactly the same amount of discs and you are both more comfortable and can sleep!

TheSpottedZebra · 08/04/2023 15:59

maddy68 · 08/04/2023 15:58

I don't understand the anger at people reclining their seats. Recline yours then you have exactly the same amount of discs and you are both more comfortable and can sleep!

I agree! Except during meal service, I think it's fine to recline the seat.

Foreversearch · 08/04/2023 16:05

I normally travel alone and when I travel with others I find it so stressful as they clearly don’t know my perfect routine. 😂

Once sat on a flight and watched a member of the cabin crew pick up and secure a toddler into the parents seat lap strap 7 times. Each time she walked away the parent undid it and put the toddler into the aisle.

ibis17 · 08/04/2023 16:10

Im autistic and always get a back row seat to try and minimise crowds/ noise (would get the front row but too expensive) and I hate it when passengers/ crew gather around the back row to chat/ use as a social area. I’ve tried explaining the autism on several occasions but often get abuse when doing this. Last flight I ended up on the floor in a 30 minute long panic attack due to 4 people leaning over my seat and chatting which was horrible & humiliating. The woman next to me said to her friend loudly ‘people like that shouldn’t fly’. I felt mortified.

Throwncrumbs · 08/04/2023 16:20

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 08/04/2023 15:24

People who arrive at the security conveyor belt and are surprised that they have to separate anything out of their bag, and then spend half an hour rooting through their clothes to find all their liquids (to be told the bottles are too large) and ask again and again about what has to be pulled out. Then they have half a billion pieces of jewelry to take off, coins in their pockets and oh yes, let me go back and take off my belt. They still then trigger the metal detector. It just slows everything down so much. I wish they had a queue for the people who know what they are doing and one for people who have questions

This is what annoys me too. Last time we flew we paid to fast track security and it was definitely worth it .

I wouldn't choose to drink alcohol at breakfast time but I do take medication to help me relax on the flight so I could understand people who drink for this reason .

Fast track is at the gate, nothing to do with going through security!

IneedsomeSleeppleasenow · 08/04/2023 16:20

I once had an adult behind me kicking my seat. I asked her to stop so she then stuck her stinky feet between me and my husband

Redminionpenguin · 08/04/2023 16:22

Last week we had the people moaning because special assistance took me and wheelchair through passport control, queue jumping. To note I don't ask for this but special assistance staff can't be stood in a queue for half an hour because they have other people to help, they also need me at the plane so they can get the wheelchair into the hold on time (or said passengers would be moaning the flight had been delayed). The thing that upset my dc the most were people saying oh we should get a wheelchair and not have to queue. My dc would love to have to queue if it meant that their mum could be active and join in the holiday fully. I wanted to cry when it happened for the 4th time in one holiday. I'd give anything to be able to stand in that queue people really need to think before they moan.

3littlerabbits · 08/04/2023 16:28

Throwncrumbs · 08/04/2023 16:20

Fast track is at the gate, nothing to do with going through security!

Show quote history

Fast track through security is also possible at some (all?) airports.

GMOOH2023 · 08/04/2023 16:29

Fast track is at the gate, nothing to do with going through security!

@Throwncrumbs

You can pay extra and be fast tracked through security too.

If you google "fast track security" you'll see it's very common.

Cherryblossomtreesforever · 08/04/2023 16:33

MrsMoastyToasty · 08/04/2023 09:21

Add to the list
The toddler kicking the back of your seat for the duration of the flight despite you giving the Paddington Bear stare/asking them to stop. Making you feel like your next step would be to grab their feet, lift them upside down and hand them to a stewardess for disposal.

I read skim read that as "despite you giving them a Paddington Bear!" 😆

usernother · 08/04/2023 16:35

maddy68 · 08/04/2023 15:58

I don't understand the anger at people reclining their seats. Recline yours then you have exactly the same amount of discs and you are both more comfortable and can sleep!

I don't want to recline my seat. I find it very uncomfortable to sit in that position.

Peakypolly · 08/04/2023 16:35

Get a Ryanair flight, seats don't recline* *
I think you have just changed my life! I'm only able to take long haul flights where I can fly business because of my issues with recliners. Now I find I can fly Ryanair on short haul - thank you.

PissTakeSubstitution · 08/04/2023 16:41

Morbidly obese man in front of me reclined his seat for the duration while I breathed in the stench of his manky scalp
Sad MN need to add a vomit emoji.

My worst experience was travelling with my toddler on my lap. The person in front reclined for the entire flight and had to be asked to sit upright at meal times. They reclined again when the tray was down and our food went everywhere. At least the stewardess gave them an earful.

Chewbecca · 08/04/2023 16:52

maddy68 · 08/04/2023 15:58

I don't understand the anger at people reclining their seats. Recline yours then you have exactly the same amount of discs and you are both more comfortable and can sleep!

Exactly! I can’t understand people complaining about something that is available to everybody.

Chewbecca · 08/04/2023 16:53

Peakypolly · 08/04/2023 16:35

Get a Ryanair flight, seats don't recline* *
I think you have just changed my life! I'm only able to take long haul flights where I can fly business because of my issues with recliners. Now I find I can fly Ryanair on short haul - thank you.

Ryanair’s charge to book seats / extra legroom is surprisingly low too.

Floofydawg · 08/04/2023 17:00

Peakypolly · 08/04/2023 16:35

Get a Ryanair flight, seats don't recline* *
I think you have just changed my life! I'm only able to take long haul flights where I can fly business because of my issues with recliners. Now I find I can fly Ryanair on short haul - thank you.

Jet2 seats don't recline either.

Happygirl79 · 08/04/2023 17:00

On a long haul flight to Miami from London there was a family a couple of seats in front of me with a baby who filled it's nappy but they obviously had no sense of smell or interest in the child. I was practically puking . After waiting for seemingly ages I gave in and asked the stewardess to politely request they change the nappy. They were not happy about that but everyone around them certainly was including me.

Odiebay · 08/04/2023 17:00

Had this last week with a man who rolled his eyes and huffed that he had to move so we could get to our window and middle seat because we arrived after him. Then proceeded to eat a tuna sandwich from pret. Followed by some kind of cheese and onion crisps.
Then fell asleep with his mouth open so I kept getting a whiff of those combined smells! 🤢

Loud woman behind talked the whole way. I could tell you all about Tom and his wife who hates him and the two kids that have many issues according to her.

People. They are everywhere!

Knullrufs · 08/04/2023 17:07

Throwncrumbs · 08/04/2023 16:20

Fast track is at the gate, nothing to do with going through security!

Show quote history

I do fast track security. (It’s a BA thing.) usually just means a different, much shorter queue and a separate lane and scanner.

Although if you do Virgin Atlantic from their hub at T3 they have an entire separate building, and the check-in/security is like the foyer of a fancy hotel. Takes some of the stress out of it.

The fast-track at the gate thing is usually called something like speedy boarding or priority boarding isn’t it?