DH and I flew back from holiday yesterday. We sat in the middle and aisle seats next to an exit, so we had lots of leg room. When we reached the seats I was standing and sorting my seat belt whilst DH put the bag in the overhead locker. I wasn’t farting about but the window seat passenger just pushed past me to take her seat. DH and I raised our eyebrows and exchanged a look.
When the plane landed, we all stood up, DH opened the locker to retrieve my handbag and she pushed passed me again to stand in the aisle and get her wheelie type small suitcase which she left in the aisle and then returned to her seat where her handbag was. No excuse me, or gesture to ask me to move. Just barged me out of her way.
DH was still in the aisle and I stood in front of him. Bargetta ( as I like to call her) was clearly frustrated at having to stand in the seating area and not the aisle. She tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at the case and said it was hers and she wanted to stand in front of me. The queue in the aisle was stationery, everyone was still pulling their stuff down and the door wasn’t open yet. She explained that she was in a hurry to disembark. Because she had made my hackles rise, I said no. She said she had a bus to catch. I said (truthfully) that so did we and probably so did a lot of the other people on the flight. She tried to argue with me but I turned away and didn’t engage.
DH and I are not rude and are quite happy to wait our turn in a queue and to let passengers in seats ahead of us get their stuff and go in front of us. Equally we are happy to wait when getting on the flight to let people take their time to stow their bags and settle into their seats.
Anyway we made our way off the plane but noticed a family with young children slipped in behind us and we could hear her tutting and even a hiss. DH said when she was behind him, he could feel her pushing him and he had to brace himself against a seat to prevent him going into me. She also hit the back of his legs with her case but DH thinks this could have been accidental.
When we got off the plane she ran along the corridor in front of us but as she was wearing high heels she really didn’t make much of a head way and we actually cleared passport control and customs ahead of her.
For full disclosure she was immaculately dressed and groomed. She was in her 50s and was foreign. Possibly from the Mediterranean country where we had our holiday.
Was I a cah? Should I have let her go in front?