To Not understand why people get so selfish at the airport?

[virilityisbad]

I just don’t get why brits on their family
holidays get so stressy. I walk through the airport seeing them flapping about and highly strung. People are hugely territorial of their personal space. The sheer hostility towards fellow human beings in the queue for boarding.

Then on the plane, people up and down, up and down checking/fetching stuff from their baggage in the overhead lockers.

Then when landed, people in the middle
of the plane deciding they deserve to disembark first and so blocking the aisle for everyone else to get their bags.

What is it about airports that make people so selfish/stressed out

Yes I've realised! Nice idea though...

I'm an infrequent flyer but I've flown enough to find a system that works for me. Window seat at the back of the aircraft, get to the gate early so I've got chance to get on when boarding starts and find a space for my hand luggage. Because I won't be waiting for the luggage carousel at the other end, I'm happy to wait to get off the aircraft and usually sit and read (whilst keeping an eye that no-one's lifted down and made off with my bag!) It helps that I'm almost always travelling alone.

With regards the stress thing, I can see why people find airports stressful and anxiety-inducing. Not only have you probably got up at sparrow's fart o'clock and had to make sure you have everything you need whilst still half asleep, you've had the stress of getting to the airport on time (what if the taxi doesn't turn up/the train is cancelled/the car breaks down?). Replacement tickets don't come cheap.

Then, having got there, you need to go through security, having made sure that you've got all your liquids in the right size bottle in the right size bag. Get it wrong and they'll be in the bin. There's also passport control (I've had problems with my passport almost everywhere so this is a cause of stress for me as to whether I'm going to end up being pulled over AGAIN for looking like someone else) and needing to be in the right gate at the right time, which may or may not be half an hour's walk away. Throw the fear of leaving something behind and/or kids and partners who are either tired, fractious, over-excited or prone to wandering off into the mix and you can multiply the stress by several factors. Did I mention delayed flights when you have a connection to catch?

And that's before you have people who are genuinely terrified of flying. I went through a phase of having panic attacks on aircraft and it was awful. I remember being quite rude to a member of cabin crew (I apologised afterwards) because underneath it all I was terrified.

Those posters saying put your suncream in your hold luggage, so much goes missing or is delayed nowadays, especially if a connection is involved, that there is a great comfort in having all essentials in your hand luggage. I have a friend like this so that nothing can delay her getting to the pool the minute she arrives at the hotel.

The flights leaving (and arriving) at stupid o'clock is another reason I avoid budget whenever possible. Going away soon from Stanstead (no other option on that trip) and when I worked out how much it would be to get a cab to the nearest stanstead express station (too early for the tube and would mean 3 different night buses!), along with the train tickets, I realised it wasn't much more to just stay in a hotel within walking distance of the airport. So that's what we're doing. At least it should make the morning less stressful. But you add on all these costs and a "cheap" flight isn't cheap anymore. Yes we still need to get to Stanstead the day before, but we can use cheaper options at a reasonable hour.

The flights leaving (and arriving) at stupid o'clock

Made worse by the trains not starting soon enough or finishing too early to use to get to/from the airport. It's pretty poor when millions/billions are spent on railway lines and airport stations at airports which are 24/7 operations only to find the trains only run daytime with even poorer Sunday services.

I am one of those who rushes in and out first. I don't elbow people out of my way though. As already explained, getting in is about having a locker space above you. If I travel to my home country or holiday, I tend to pack a chance of clothes for me and kids in a holdall as our luggage has missed the flight too many times and it's crap to go to bed without your tooth brush and nothing to sleep in, never mind to have a fresh clothes to wear next morning. Once bitten, twice shy..

If I fly to my home country, I don't need to rush out as the passport control there is never a problem. But if I fly back to HTR or GTW or say US, I will rush out, even with the kids. Because of the immigration queues. I don't have British passport and kids can't go through scanners regardless so we always have to go through the actual immigration official. I'd rather be front of the immigration queue rather than behind the other 300-400 passengers from my plane.

If the above has never been a problem for you, fine but it has done a real difference on my travels.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here, if you use the travelator thing between the boarding gates, can you please stand on one side and not to block it with your suitcases. You may have all the time of the world to stand there like numpty and progress at snails space but others may want to walk up at a reasonable pace.

What actually happens at US immigration? I've not flown outside Europe as yet.
I know they ask you, 'Are you travelling for business or pleasure?' as I've seen that in films hahaha.
But apart from checking your passport as they do on any flight, what is it that happens that makes it oh so time consuming as per so many posts in this thread?

Last time 3 years ago that I was there it’s a cacophony of yelling at departures, generally in a nasal, slurred, dismissive tone designed to not actually be heard and processed by the human ear.

Arrivals is a fucking zoo, particularly at JFK, with more yelling, dreadful lighting in a grimy tunnel with at least 4 747’s of passengers. If you’re white you get yelled at by the Homeland Security officer and they do an eye scan and finger scan, whilst trying desperately to find any reason at all in your passport. If you’re not white they pretend not to understand you, and despite you’re having waited patiently for 2 hours they bump you to yet another queue for more waiting and yelling.

They mini-interviewed me last year when I went to Boston - where was I staying, what was I doing while I was there, oh you have tickets for baseball, who are the Red Sox playing? Etc. I had to queue, scan my passport and answer questions on a machine which is meant to speed it up if you have been to the US on an Esta in the last few years. Then queue to be grilled by the actual person. The longest lines are always at LAX!

At US immigration the lines are long, they also photograph you and take fingerprints. Questions can be anything from inane chit chat to quite in depth. I have a visa now but in my earlier years of travelling I’ve been asked for the purpose of my visit but never specifically business or pleasure (sorry). I have Global Entry now and it’s brilliant.

which1 As en example, we flew to San Diego 3 weeks ago. There was only 1 immigration official working for the non-domestic queue. He processed all the cabin crew before he even started on us. We were one of the first ones but it still took about 45 minutes before we got through. This one didn't scan our fingers but we all had to have our picture taken individually. The ones with the American passport just sailed through and had more desks open

I've never had a rude immigration official on my travels to US but they are always very slow and take their sweet time to look at your passport. And then their computer. And then they look at your passport again. And so it goes... plus finger print scans and all that faff.

Passport control at Heathrow was bad enough 2 weeks ago - fancy e-gates for most passengers, great, but everyone with children had to go through the queue to see an actual person. They only had 2 people on the desks, so there was a queue of over 100 bored children who'd only just escaped a plane only to be restricted again. And this was for UK/EU passport holders in our own country!

The slight silver lining was that my parents were travelling with us, so went through the e-gates, collected all our luggage and were waiting with coffee by the time we got through.

Just been through security in Germany that had only very basic information before you went through the machines. Guy in front of us stopped because he had left his clear plastic bag with liquids inside his case. He said it was the first time he traveled in Europe and didn't know they had to be outside the case.
Some airports don't make it easy. Also some airports you encounter very rude staff

We went through Newark airport last week. The officials there were lovely. I’ve heard stories about US officials being unfriendly etc, but these guys were friendly and helpful. Even spending time talking to dds. So nice to see when you’re waiting so bloody long. Same at Heathrow too. We landed and the guys there were great.

I was just wondering,,, if you open the overhead locker above your seat and a bag is already in there, can't you take it out to put yours in

A lot of people think it’s overhead locker for that seat but it doesn’t really work like that as there is simply not enough space for that. I fly a lot for work and it’s just find a space and sit down.

Oh and I wish people would understand the middle seat rule.
Middle seat gets BOTH armrests. Aisle gets to stretch in the aisle, window gets the window to look out of / lean. Middle suuuucks and the ONLY positives is both arm rests. If you take 2 armrests in a window or aisle you’re the worst type of person.

I was just wondering,,, if you open the overhead locker above your seat and a bag is already in there, can't you take it out to put yours in

No, no you cannot.
You don't own the space above your seat.

A lot of people think it’s overhead locker for that seat but it doesn’t really work like that as there is simply not enough space for that.

Strictly, there is. It's just that some people don't carry much hand luggage, or are made to hand it in for the hold if the flight is too full.
But the overhead luggage space is more or less a match to the seats.

What actually happens at US immigration?
US immigration is a nightmare and their immigration officers can be horrible I have gone through a few times and one time was questioned so rudely I felt like telling them to forget it that I didn't want to come and visit and spend dollars in their country after all!!! I think they come from the starting point that everyone is trying to get in illegally and work back from there. Me and my dh and at the time 2 year old were once flying from Mexico to London and stupidly booked it with a 5 hour stop over in Washington. I thought we'd have loads of time but the queue for immigration was insane and this included loads of Americans coming back and needing to catch onward domestic flights all the people in the queue around us ended up missing their flights and we had to run to catch ours. I have no idea why we had to go through immigration considering we were only on a 5 hour stopover.

With regards rudeness and flying. Airports are stressful I know people that work in Dublin airport and they get peer support and one on one therapy sessions every now and again because it is acknowledged what a stressful environment it is to work and how difficult it can be for airport staff to constantly deal with this stress from their customers.

I was just wondering,,, if you open the overhead locker above your seat and a bag is already in there, can't you take it out to put yours in

No, of course not!

But the overhead luggage space is more or less a match to the seats.

No it's not. The overhead racks for the front few rows is taken up by cabin crew and for plane supplies etc., If you're in row 1, you usually have to go back to say rows 4/5/6, which obviously means people in those rows may also have to go back etc.

how difficult it can be for airport staff to constantly deal with this stress from their customers.

Ironic then, that a lot of customer stress is caused by the staff. Sounds like a vicious circle!

I was once on a flight that allowed for a small suitcase in the overhead, and a hand bag etc that HAD to be stored under the seat in front of you. Those were the rules.

I get on the plane, and really need my case up above or very close as I had a connecting flight with very little leeway. I had to walk all the way from the very back of the plane down to business looking for room. Nothing at all ANYWHERE. So the air hostess helps me out and looks, and looks, nothing until half way when she finds a locker full of handbags/rucksacks that would fit in the seat in front.

She promptly removed these and shouted out asking whose they were. Then the pax who owned them starting arguing back that they didn't want them under the seat as they already had stuff there....

Turns out they had taken a big suitcase, and TWO handbags/rucksacks. She told them they were to find room and stuff them in.

Of course, they managed but christ did I get some glares from them. In the end too, they held the next plane for me as I ended up being last off the plane as it was impossible to get my suitcase from the middle of the plane

But the overhead luggage space is more or less a match to the seats.

No it's not. The overhead racks for the front few rows is taken up by cabin crew and for plane supplies etc.,

Ahem.
More or less isn't exactly.
And it's not 4 or 5 rows back.

The fact is that if everybody takes just the maximum allowed there should be no reason to have to walk several rows to find space. (Exceptions for the last few people on full flights)