Going to the airport and not getting a flight is strange

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My in laws and bro in laws regularly go to the airport to watch planes take off and land. I rang them this morning to see if they had any plans that we could tag along with and this was the plan.
I have a friend who does the same but she has two 3 year olds who are obsessed with planes. I get that. I don't get two people in their fifties and two men in their twenties doing it on a sunny Saturday when the airport is 45 mins drive away. Last time they asked me I said 'I think I'd feel sad going there and not actually going on holiday.' This takes me to the strangest part, none of them have ever flown or would ever consider flying, or so they say.
Each to their own I guess.

I got chatting to an airport/long distance taxi driver who explained that he switched to taxi driving after he retired from the MoD so he could hang about to watch the planes.

I am genuinely mystified by trainspotters that stand at the end of Bristol station in the morning to note down the serial/reg numbers of commuter trains.

Wow moose where is that? if bring my kids put to play with dough and watch planes!

Its like trainspotting.

We went camping last year near Heathrow (at an actual site, not along the perimeter) and while we didn't intend to, we spent ages looking the the planes taking off with binoculars and then tracking where they were going on plane finder! It was ace and no, we had never done anything like it before!

Thanks for the good wishes and collective outrage and sorry to derail a bit. I looked at the Ts&Cs and that's where I found the bit about the child flights. I did wonder if it had Watchdog potential.

I think it's very strange going to an airport and not getting a plane, i do it 5 times a week, but then I work there, so don't have a choice

Omg how bizarre ! I'm reading the comments in disbelief 😂😂 all I can think of is Earl from "my name is Earl " and his younger brother doing something like this. How utterly boring one life must be 😂

So it's strange to you. Are you always so judgemental of people's habits?
I'm still struggling to work out how their hobby affects your life.

I'm willing to bet you do things that other would consider weird. We are all different, sooner you realise that, the easier life will seem.

Personally I don't get it, but DH is a long haul pilot so I hear enough about planes! I use flight radar to see what time he'll be home from work 😀

We used to take the kids when they were wee. Those were the days when you could go up on the viewing area and get a really good view of them landing and taking off. The kids loved it. So did I! Nothing strange about it at all imo.

I find this very strange although I see it as one of those things where i could easily be convinced that it is pretty normal. This thread has normalised it for me. After reading I'm now thinking not a bad trip to take the kids on

Totally normal- a bit like Train spotting. I have known those (admittedly on the ASD spectrum) who could tell me , in great detail, all aspects of a certain plane - flight path,passengers etc etc. Other's who just go for a bit of awe and wonder as to how those massive planes actually get off the ground

I grew up just down the road from Stansted, used to love going to watch themail planes with my Dad when I was a kid ☺

I make a point of being in my back garden once a year on the Queens birthday to watch the birthday flight go over, so totally get plane watching.

Ooh had day trips planned to Heathrow in my youth. Half family from overseas and possibly they felt a bit suffolcated by London hence day trips to Heathrow to reminisce when they were flying to far flung places. We had a ball about 11 of us including my cousins so it was fun.

Similarly one uncle kept coming to see us when we moved to the coast as he's from Mombasa and felt the need to be by the Thames estuary!! These days he lives in Goa.

Possibly something similar?

Don't forget way back when flying was glamorous,

Manchester Airport pub This is how close you get.

My ex bf used to love going to Manchester Airport to watch the planes. Think T2 had just opened, the viewing area was literally a car park and a portacabin that sold crisps and pop. He was kind of similar to how you describe you pil, bit set in his ways, not keen on doing new stuff, not willing to spend much money etc.

I've done it with my kids after dropping my mum off st Manchester airport. I thought it was going to be rubbish but it was actually really good. At Manchester there is a briefing place, old planes you can go inside for a look round, a park and an ice cream van. Well worth a visit for a free day out.

Ok so to all those who didn't understand my OP, the strange thing is that they are fascinated by planes but have no intention of travelling anywhere. They are cutting themselves off from 99% of the world, and that doesn't seem strange to you? For a 24 year old to say that they don't ever want to go on a plane.
I'm the least controlling person ever but I do genuinely genuinely believe that new experiences make for a happier life! I love my dp's family and obviously they have an impact on my dc's life so how are they going to teach them to embrace new things and places (and fear, to a certain extent) if they don't. Geez, read what I'm saying before you attack me!

I grew up just down the road from stansted too...perhaps we know each other @claireyjs!

My dh would win the plane nerd award by miles, he can recognise them all. I however have developed a flying phobia and cry if I have to get on one...prob due to him!

YANBU.... but...... it's not your thing... ok.... but it is THEIRS, and I do totally understand it... here I am, mother of 4 grown children, and I am fortunate enough to have a job that occasionally takes me the Broughton, near Chester, where the Airbus wings are made, and every day, the Beluga, which is just the most unbelieveable aircraft, HUGE, takes off with its cargo of wings, to go to France, and I organise my day around this... I sit on the area around the airfield, and watch.. and watch and watch this magnificent thing take off... Google Beluga Airbus and see what I mean.

Ok you prefer other things... things others may hate... but that doesn't make them unreasonable.

At Edinburgh you can drive right up to the fence that runs alongside the runway.. It's pretty exciting!

You talk as if travelling is something compulsory rather than a priviledge and a choice. The good thing about being an adult is that you can avoid doing things you really don't want to do. There's nothing more irritating than someone who bangs on about "having to try new things". Maybe they do that in their own way. I hope they ignore you if you tell them what you think!

And for some people,travelling would not make for a happier life. It would make for a nerve-wracking one.

I think it's odd phoning someone up and asking what their plans are so you can tag along. Is this a thing?

We used to watch from car parks not sure if you can now