Woman in Airline Check-In Queue

[Zilverblue]

Not life or death but a question of modern manners!

I was standing in a long and slow moving check in queue for a flight recently. One of the queues where they weigh and check the size of your hand luggage. It really wasn't going anywhere fast as there was plenty of time before the flight left, in fact it wasn't moving at all as they hadn't started letting people through yet.

The woman behind me kept jostling me, touching me, so that she was almost at my shoulder. I think she wanted me to stand really close to the people in front and do the same to them. So, hoping she would get the hint, I pulled back my hair (it gets caught under my bag strap anyway, as its very long) and of course it made contact with her. More nudging and jostling from her in response. So I did it again. This time there was loud sighing and tutting from her.

So I turned to her and said "Maybe you might stand a little less close. Or perhaps you are so desperate, you might prefer me to let you in front of me" (in the non-moving queue).

This resulted in a long, deep sigh and the words "behave yourself" and a rant about how I shouldn't "flick my hair at her". Then a brief and reasonably quiet argument ensued, the queue started moving and she barged past me. Sympathetic looks from other passengers.

Who was U?

[hiccupgirl]

YANBU OP. Some people just have no idea about personal space.

I had a serious space invader in a supermarket cafe queue last week...seriously this woman was so close I was beginning to suspect she wanted to give me a hug or something. She leant on me all the way round to the till and then the second I'd got the receipt, she was trying to push my tray out of the way so she could have her turn.

[Graendal]

This is the moment I dig my 'thong' out ( I wear huge granny pants but you can pretend. Do it with much grunting and ahhhing. For extra disgusting, sniff your fingers. For pure awesome, offer them a sniff.

[Aussiemum78]

I take a step backwards, onto their toe and then feign ignorance "gosh I didn't realise you were right behind me, so sorry".

[LuisSuarezFangs]

Oh I hate this too. I'm sure people don't realise they are doing it though.

Last time I flew though, there was a particularly stinky man in front of me. I let the family directly behind go in front of me, making myself look magnanimous and relieving myself of the stench

[thursday]

One of my earliest memories is standing in a similar airport queue in Spain and the woman behind me repeatedly shufting her bag into the back of my legs, presumably in the hope I'd become non-corporeal eventually and she could push right through. There started my life long loathing of rude bastards. She was BU. next time, ramp it up from hair flick to dramatic yawns that punch them in the face.

[LilMissSunshine9]

What a twat! Really those types of people are super annoying.

And just on a bit of rant it is really getting to me lately when your standing up on a crowded train, there is no more space and your in some twisted position as it is then the train is 1 minute away from lets say London Bridge and people who had the luck of seat start getting up. WHY!!!!! It really feckin gets on my nerves. There is no room to go and if you wanted to be first off the train then why did you take a seat knowing that it is always crowded every day! You get jostled and pushed even more. If you get a seat at least be wait until the aisles are clear. ARGGHHHHH! ok I feel better now

[LondonNicki]

I do this! I hate when people come up top close behind me in a queue (this tends to particularly happen in airports)...my hair is also long so I swimg it round to flick in their face - message being, if you can feelt hair you are too close
Usually works pretty well. Stand back people !!

[ijustwanttobeme]

This is what I do when people stand so close behind me, invading my personal space: I accidentally on purpose, take a step back treading on toes, or bumping hard into them. Works every time. They can't complain as if they'd left a bit of room it would never have happened :)

[NinjaPanda34]

I said to a woman standing close behind me "God, any closer, you'd have to marry me". Seemed to do the trick :)

[rembrandtsrockchick]

"The last time someone got that close to my arse they at least bought me dinner"

[Fluffyears]

I was sitting at a bar in a restaurant with dh and the man behind me decided to actually lean on me to get closer to staff when ordering. He laid arm across my shoulders and out all his weight on me

[BecauseIsaidS0]

My friend was once in a yoga class and when they got to a tricky pose, the guy to his right put his hand on my friend's shoulder to stabilize himself

[blueshoes]

LilMissSunshine, I agree with you. I ignore seat-early-get-uppers and don't make any effort to move out of the way until the train doors open. Bloody amateurs.

[LosingAllTheLego]

How I deal with it is just to ask them to back off.

Passive aggressive behaviour is just pathetic! It will get you far more wound up stood flicking your hair in the vain hope of annoying the other person than to just turn around and ask them to give you space.

People are weird sometimes.

[SnookyPooky]

I used to be a rep and can confirm that airports generally do bring out the worst in people.

[DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease]

This thread has had me in stitches, wonderful hilarious start to my day. Thank you, and I'm sorry to not have a funny story to contribute. Yanbu 'space invaders' (fun new term there), are awful.

[Truckingalong]

Many years ago, someone got waaay too close to my then boyfriends brother in a queue. What they didn't know however was that said brother was a nice enough guy on the surface but a nasty piece of work underneath (he eventually ended up in prison) and he silently turned round to the person who was standing too close and literally launched him backwards. He went flying and landed in a heap. We stood there with slack jaws but I doubt this guy ever jostled anyone in a queue again!

[Nanadookdookdook]

If people squash up behind me in a queue I very pointedly clutch my handbag to me and zip it up or fiddle with the clasp, likewise with any luggage at my feet and look wary or suspiciously at the person behind.

It makes them stand a bit rigid so I think they get the message.

[Jill2015]

If they were that close I'd have simply taken a half step back and firmly stood on their toes!

I've done this, or swing my bag firmly onto my shoulder, and give them a clout with it. I practically carried a woman (I never exaggerate ) through airport security a few months back. Seriously, she was glued to me, even as I was reclaiming my bag off the conveyor. I know it hit off her slightly as I took it back down. I didn't do it deliberately, and I am normally very polite. I didn't apologise. Give me a bit of space FFS.

[rubybleu]

YANBU. My default reaction when being invaded is to put my bag between them and me. Turn your trolley bag around so that if she knocks it, it falls flat on the ground and makes a bang - people tend to only do that once.

I do the same on the tube as well, I stick my gym between me and the space invader. There's a certain type of tube passenger who will stand facing away from you and very close so that you are breathing in their hair - I had to ask a girl this week to step forward as her pony tail was actually touching my nose and I was trapped with nowhere to go.

[TeamScotland]

Someone stood too close to me waiting to get off a bus in Croydon. I was wearing stiletto boots with metal heel tips. When the bus breaked hard at the stop I naturally stepped back slightly to steady myself and my metal heel landed on the middle of her foot. It must have been really painful. She thought I'd broken her toe. I bet she doesn't stand too close to other these days.

[Minion]

I asked someone at work did he want me to make him a father, cause any closer he'd be in luck.
Backed right off, guess he didn't want it either.