Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Airport queuing etiquette

70 replies

SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 30/09/2010 14:10

OK, we're coming back from Spain to Exeter. We get to the airport nice & early. The screen says check-in desks 15 & 16.

When we get down there, both desks are still closed, there is a humungous queue at desk 16 and no queue at 15. When we asked the first family in the queue what's going on, they said that they are checking in two flights, to Exeter and Bournemouth, at 15 & 16, & that people are going to 'feed across' to both desks from the one queue.

At that moment another passenger turns up, says 'I'm starting a new queue' and dumps her case at desk 15. I marshalled my lot to stand in line behind her. However, DH Not Happy - 'You can't, these people were here first' etc and threatened to go off to the back of the queue. (This v. entertaining for the queue, v. embarrassing for me.)

Then two check-in staff turned up and (eventually) opened the desks, our one first, at which point half the queue came over and shuffled in behind us. Luckily they were checking in both flights at both desks - if it's been Bournemouth only at desk 15 we would've looked pretty stupid.

DH still going on (loudly) about what a cow I am when we were on the bloody plane!

What do you think? Why should I stick with someone else's arbitrary decision?

OP posts:
diddl · 30/09/2010 15:51

Going back to OP, smells didn´t start the new queue.

And if her husband objected that much he should have stayed in the other queueGrin

(Does anyone else sometimes split up & then rejoin the person who gets there first?Blush)

PestoEatsPastiesandSurfboards · 30/09/2010 15:55

I'm with Diddle on this one Smile

Rockbird · 30/09/2010 16:06

Hmm, I think it's rude. Regardless of what you thought of the queueing system, all those people were there before you and you knew that. It happens in the supermarket at the self checkouts, some chancer always comes along and tries to form a queue of one directly in front of a machine. I've never yet seen anyone get away with it, they're always kicked to the back.

If you're the first one there, fine, but you knew you were pushing in. Not very nice.

diddl · 30/09/2010 16:08

Well it´s never going to be completely fair until there´s one queue like in the post office.

Could you imagine that in a supermarket??!!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 30/09/2010 16:16

I hate this one queue for multiple desks/tills/carpark ticket machines.
It's actually more efficiant to have 2 queues, I dont actually know this for sure but the workers in McDonalds have told me about it once so it must be true.

Wordsonascreen · 30/09/2010 16:23

tbh i don't care at airports

if you're in a queue your're all getting on the same plane so I prefer to amble up a bit later (thats not to say i'm the irritating sods who have their name called and threatend to be de bagged) after taking advantage of a few glasses and piss off all the people who were sat waiting to GET ON THE SAME PLANE.

and if i'm with the dc's I always do priority boarding.

diddl · 30/09/2010 16:28

I guess if you are queuing at the desk/counter whatever then staff see the next person immediately rather than waiting for them to walk from the one queue iyswim.

MmeLindt · 30/09/2010 16:30

The Brits are soooo obsessed with queueing.

DH was most amused, on his first visit to UK to see several bus stop queues where the first 7 or 8 people were standing in the shelter and the remaining 5 or 6 folk were standing patiently in the pouring rain.

Where he is from it would have been like a game of sardines.

OP
YABU - a queue jumper is almost worse than a mass murderer in UK, you should know better. Did everyone tut and mutter at you?

Hedgeblunder · 30/09/2010 16:33

Yabu, you were very rude. It is a British thing but by doing that you're effectively saying that you are mote important than everyone else who gas queued nicely.
You should be teaching your kids manners by example

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 30/09/2010 16:37

MmeLindt - oh yes, there was tutting. Rumbling, in fact.

Hedge - the dch agreed with DH!

OP posts:
Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 30/09/2010 16:39

FWIW I do queue, give up my seat on buses etc. It's just that this was a new queue...

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 30/09/2010 16:40

It is no use. We have all marked you down on our Spreadsheets.

SmellsLikeTeenSweat - Queue Jumper Shock

Hassled · 30/09/2010 16:42

SmellsLike - you'd do well at Naples airport. There is no queuing etiquette there whatsoever - it's a complete free for all. If you can knock an old woman out the way and stamp on a couple of babies to get through security first, then that's fair enough.

I came over all British and did a lot of tutting.

Rockbird · 30/09/2010 16:56

So how does everyone else manage? Serious question, despite the best efforts of my Irish parentage, when it comes to queues I am unredeemably British :o If everyone is standing in a huddle, does everyone go apeshit with excitement and elbowing when the bus arrives or do you fall into an orderly, memorised line? I can't imagine it. Doesn't everyone spontaneously combust? Are you all knifing each other with fury or do you not care if there's no room left on the bus despite you being first?

:o

MmeLindt · 30/09/2010 17:03

Rockbird
I can only speak for Germany and Switzerland. It somewhat resembles a rugby scrum. German grannies have extra sharp elbows and often a stick to wave about. When a bus or tram arrives, there is a mad rush to get on, and those trying to get off have to push against the tide.

Madness.

grumpypants · 30/09/2010 17:08

My mum had a massive row in Gatwick with a mad old lady over this. There was one humongous queue, and a harrassed steward who said that as soon as the next desk opened, we would 'feed' across (bit like a bank/post office). Of course, as soon as it opened, everyone behind rushed forward, and mum wasn't having this - massive row with pensioner culminating in said pensioner pointing to her queue jumping companion and shrieking 'are you an Italian trying to get back to Italy?' 'No' 'Well, he is!' It is now a family in joke. Any vague rudeness by strangers and we ask their nationality. Much confusion (them) and hilarity (us).

thelunar66 · 30/09/2010 19:14

But Grumpypants, were you actually queuing for a plane to Italy at the time? Or was it just any random country that got shouted out?

Docbunches · 30/09/2010 19:16

My DD unwittingly fell foul of the Nandos queuing etiquette the first time she went there with friends.

She stood immediately behind someone who was at one of the 4 tills because there was one person at each of the other 3 tills, so she just randomly picked a queue. After a while she realised there was a single queue some way behind her forming to feed into the 4 tills (Post Office style). DD is convinced they were all glaring and tutting thinking she had queue-jumped...... well, how was she to know?!

In answer to the OP, I'm not sure if YABU or not, my DP would have done the same as you while I would have cringed like your DH.

It's a blinkin minefield.

nbyet · 30/09/2010 19:21

It would have been ok if you hadn't asked the first family in the queue, but as you did, and then disregarded what they said, YABU and I would have been royally annoyed if I were in the original queue.

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 30/09/2010 19:48

Oh MmeLindt Shock! I am mortified. Blush And I like you so much, too - I imagine that you are made of chocolate. Mmmmm Lindt.....

OP posts:
Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 30/09/2010 19:51

nbyet there must've been an awful lot of people in that queue who wanted to start a new queue, but didn't have the nerve. I was dithering, until Assertive Queue-Starter Woman arrived.

OP posts:
soopermum1 · 30/09/2010 20:04

Queuing etiquette aside, by starting this new line you were attended to a lot more quickly than all of the other people who had been there before you. Hardly seems fair.YABU

diddl · 30/09/2010 20:13

But they didn´t all have to stand in one queue.

nbyet · 30/09/2010 20:35

"nbyet there must've been an awful lot of people in that queue who wanted to start a new queue, but didn't have the nerve. I was dithering, until Assertive Queue-Starter Woman arrived."

Possible but they didn't, and they would have been annoyed with you and the woman in front because you were going to get checked-in before them despite the fact that you had only just arrived and they had been waiting.

nbyet · 30/09/2010 20:35

"nbyet there must've been an awful lot of people in that queue who wanted to start a new queue, but didn't have the nerve. I was dithering, until Assertive Queue-Starter Woman arrived."

Possible but they didn't, and they would have been annoyed with you and the woman in front because you were going to get checked-in before them despite the fact that you had only just arrived and they had been waiting.