Passengers observations at airports

[Mokel]

At the airport. Passengers wearing thick coats. I’m sweating with a thin hoodie on.

Then young woman (mid 20s) in front of me in security wore boots up to the shin and we had to take our shoes off.

Thank goodness for Skechers slip ins

Anything else that baffles you about passengers at airports

Maybe they’re going to a colder place and don’t have space in their suitcase?
My favourite is people that seem surprised by the liquid restrictions in security. Like it’s their first day on earth. Although I think many airports don’t seem to limit anymore?

The need to have a drink in Spoons at 6am. I like a drink on holiday but 6am is coffee or tea time. And I’ve been on a 6am flight next to 2 drunk women which was pretty grim.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s that everyone has a different inner thermostat.

I just wish people would look into rules before they travel, nothing worse than getting stuck behind someone who packs all the wrong things (like liquids) in their carry on.

It's impossible to get a thick coat into 'carry on luggage'!

We used to go to Austria every summer. Most people wore their walking boots to travel despite the weather being warm. Too big to pack

The fact that people are unable to understand even the most simplest instructions like
"Watch the information boards as we no longer call flight details "
"Your flight is at gate 17"and they wander upto get 16
"Do not leave your luggage unattended "

But the one that pisses me off most is the fact that the "duty free" shops are now situated where you have to walk to get to the main terminal...you'd think some people had never seen a shop before

Well I was behind someone wearing a tail last time I went through security but I don’t notice that trend taking off. I did in fact get caught out with liquids on my way back from Lisbon because it hadn’t been an issue at Gatwick. Different airports now have different policies.

Airports show the inequalities in societal expectations of young men and women. I see so many younger couples where he looks like he has rolled out of bed straight into a track suit, and she has been up for much longer, applying perfect make up and curling her hair. This is without the time spent previous to the airport getting nails and fake tan done.

Different airports having different liquid rules is confusing - flew out of Manchester and liquids could be just within hand luggage whereas coming back from Porto they needed to be in a plastic bag together . This meant I needed to unpack and repack things near security 😳

Love a double Bacardi and coke before a flight whatever the time.

Early morning flight from Luton, watched a group getting royally slaughtered in the bar. Their flight got called, then final call, then call by name, then 'your baggage has been unloaded'.

They were off to a party island and decided to start the party early.

Ferry out of Ramsgate, it was going to be rough. There were people in the restaurant drinking pints and eating cooked breakfast until one by one they disappeared to be sick.

It was truly rough. Now all you can see is sea, now all you can see is sky. The restaurant got closed because the tables were clearing themselves. We ended up sitting on the floor in the centre of the boat as you couldnt fall off that.

We were sat in a group with a number of other parents watching stewards rushing backwards and forwards with mops and buckets. We all had babies or toddlers which seemed to have immunised us to the mayhem going on around us - we'd all dealt with worse.

Planes can get very cold with the air conditioning. Some people feel the cold more than others. Coats are often too bulky to pack when you are travelling somewhere cold. There really is nothing to be baffled by here.

Experienced flyer here; not that I like the process, but having done it many times, I know what to expect. Or so I thought. I flew Jet2 for the first time recently, and they tag the bags differently. If you had been near me, you would have thought I was inexperienced, as the staff came over to redo it for me.

I have done the new EU entry system a few times at different airports, it has been different in each one. Sometimes it is chaotic and at the last airport where there was a terminal to do the entry, not that difficult, but they were rammed into a small space and there was no direction to the next available one. Then, when you are done, it had a message about going to the e-gate, but they were not signposted and were down at one end, so not easy to see. There were people just standing around not sure what to do next.

My personal bugbear is people with loads of hand luggage, cabin case, backpack, coat, hat, duty free, food, and then another bag of stuff they couldn't fit. This is more usual on scheduled flights than the budget flights.

It baffles me why anyone would wear those slip in shoes unless there is a medical need so they certainly wouldn’t be one of the two pairs of shoes I take on holiday just to make it faster for you to get through security.

Dress for your destination - or they could be like my family (who live in the US) and anything below 22 degrees is arctic (they keep asking when I’m going to get central heating 🤣).
It’s those who don’t seem to understand you need passport and boarding pass easily accessible at several points going through security and suddenly start digging around their bags (same people in supermarkets who only realise when the cashier tells them the total that they need to pay).

I hate the people who stop dead randomly when there are loads of people walking behind them.

That babies will cry on the flight
That the person who sits on the aisle seat will need to move at some point so those in the window and middle seats can have a wee

Well, not everyone is flying to sunny and warm climes.

I've flown up into the Arctic Circle from Stansted before, so it's no mystery why you would need to be landing with good boots and a coat there. You certainly wouldn't want to be in shorts and t-shirt.

What does amaze me is people who don't seem to pay attention to the departure boards so don't make it to the gate on time.

I also did once see a woman on the plane guzzling her way through bottles of vodka that she had purchased in duty free. That's definitely against the rules but cabin staff didn't do anything about it. Glad I wasn't actually sitting in the same row as her. She was as pissed as a fart and getting worse. She seemed to be travelling with a man who I presume was her husband but he seemed to have booked himself a seat in the row behind her and stayed resolutely at arm's length. Can't say I blamed him. She was embarrassing even to those of us who didn't know her.

Liquids rules are now changing and I can see why they are now more confusing. Not all airports yet have the scanners that allow the amounts over 100ml to be carried in hand luggage. You could fly out of one airport that does and then home from one that doesn't. It doesn't usually affect me because I go for 2 or 3 weeks so do need to have checked baggage, into which fluids are packed. But I can see why it is confusing people. Something I prefer not to have to think about for myself.

At the airport. Passengers wearing thick coats. I’m sweating with a thin hoodie on.

Are you perimenopausal? I don't find airports particularly warm places. They are probably going somewhere chilly and don't want to pack their coats.

The need to have a drink in Spoons at 6am

I never fancy alcohol at this time of day. Tea or coffee for me. I don't understand wanting get drunk for a flight. I would spend half the flight queueing for the loo.

It baffles me why anyone would wear those slip in shoes unless there is a medical need

Wow! Rude.

Come on, OP, surely it’s not that hard to grasp that they may be flying somewhere cold and not want to cram their carry-on with a bulky coat? And that, while you might choose your footwear for ease of taking off at screening, other people will think ‘I need these boots for walking in northern Finland, so I’m going to wear them to travel in because they’re bulky’?

Ummmm...one observation/opinion that seems to unshakeable..

People at major hubs like Heathrow asking how some folks can drink a beer or glass of wine with food at 8 AM, obviously not understanding how for some connecting passengers their body clocks are telling them it's tea time.....

Frequent flyer.
In every aspect of air travel I observe a total lack of patience combined with inability to read and recognise what action might be most efficient in a small area full of people.
People who stand almost on top of the baggage reclaim. If everyone just stood back and walked forward when they saw their bag it would be perfect. But no. Everyone needs to stand EXTREMELY close to the carousel and WILL NOT MOVE when you step forward to get your bag.
There been many a Nigel’s legs taken out when I’ve swung my bag off reclaim. While he is literally inches from the mechanism and gawping as I struggle to grab the bag in the millimetres of room he’s left me next to Colin alongside with his several trollies.
The whole plane standing up as soon as the seatbelt sign goes off. Half the plane bent double while the aisle is full and standing for an aon while the air bridge is connected. Disembarking row by row is far more efficient.

You don’t need your passport at security…

Even worse are the ones who allow their kids close to the baggage claim, then look on in wonderment as they almost get totalled by people swinging heavy cases off the carosel.

For baggage claim I always either a) identify where it is going to come out and wait there or b) go and sit on one of the seats where I have a clear view of what's coming on the belt.

TBF at super crowded airports like Birmingham you don't really have much option but to do battle with the masses.