Airport Etiquette… People are the Worst!

This is not the typical “Why do airlines charge us so much money when we have to pay for our peanuts and bags?” type of blog. This is my curious frustration with society and what is proper and respectful etiquette while at the airport and on a plane. I am constantly in shock of society and how we as humans can be so disrespectful to people around us and the public spaces we share. Below are some of my pet-peeves when it comes to being at the airport!

Talking loud on cell phones: Why do people need to shout into the phone? It doesn’t make you hear the person on the other side of the phone any better! Just because you can’t hear them doesn’t mean they can’t hear you in a normal tone of voice. I was sitting down at the gate, and the man next to me was screaming his conversation, he wasn’t angry or upset, just that loud. At one point he had made so many people around him uncomfortable with his loud voice that I was the only person left sitting in that space waiting to board the plane. This one incident triggered me to keep notice of all the weird and quirky behaviors of people at the airport. I understand you might be on a layover and board so you want to call you friend you haven’t talked to in six months to catch up. Or check in on your nanny or in-laws who are watching your children, but why do you have to make it everyone’s business? It is very distracting and rude. I don’t like it when people have the attitude of “if you don’t like then don’t listen/look”. That’s not a nice positive attitude to have. Plus texting is so popular I’m shocked by all the people who have major phone conversations these days in public spaces!

Saving seats with bags for no one: Saving a seat at the gate for no one is so rude. There have been many times that my gate has been full of people and families are sitting on the floors, tons of people are standing up, yet others are alone sitting down in a chair, and using a second chair for the bag to sit. People need to be more considerate of others. Look around, see if you can move over one seat so a couple can sit next to each other. Put your bags on the floor in between your legs instead of in a seat, so someone can sit down. My friend and I were so tired from our last vacation that we both really wanted to sit down at the gate; we were separated by two people, but four seats total. Each of them had a bag on a seat. I asked one of the guys to move his bag and he did, but the other guy didn’t seem to hear me and never looked up at me or acknowledged that my friend sat next to him. When my friend got up I went to an open seat to watch his bags and the rude guy who didn’t acknowledge me and was traveling alone left his carry-on at his seat. I was so temped to call airport security on him because he left his bag unattended! I picked up my friend’s bag and we decided to stand in the walkway of the terminal away from the seats because I was so uncomfortable being next to rude people who leave their shady bags!

Loud headphones or no headphone at all! What is up with people not using headphone on a plane or in the airport terminal? I understand that little children may have a hard time using earbuds and headphones so I guess its ok for them to watch a cartoon at the gate while waiting to board the airplane, but on the plane next to someone with the volume turned up, how is that ok? I experienced all different types of people playing their music or watching the movies without headphone multiple times while traveling.  First there is the mom who lets her kids watch annoying cartoons so loud, then there is the spring break girls who play their country songs that no one likes super loud in their row so they all can hear it together at the same time, then there are young boys who have the headphones turned up so loud that rap or rock music coming from them is noticeable with my earbuds on! I know that I could just put my earbuds in and try to tune them out, but what if I didn’t want to? What if I was trying to read my book or have a conversation with my friend? It is so distracting and disrespectful to the rest of people you are traveling with to not use headphones!

Facetime and Skype users: I know people miss their families and facetime is a great way to connect, but can’t you do it in a more private space than next to me on the plane while we are waiting to take off? I can hear and see your mom, kids, and house all on the other side of that phone. I am eavesdropping on your conversation because it is right in front of my face, I am dumb founded that people don’t care about privacy anymore and can be so open in a public space. You never know who you are sitting next to or what creepy person is around watching you facetime your kids in the bathtub! People need to be more careful and less selfish about what they want to see and hear about. It can wait, if your family is safe and happy, the facetime calls can wait until you checked into your hotel room.

Poor Wi-Fi is a big thing that makes me crazy at the airport. I truly believe they have horrible Wi-Fi so you have to buy their magazines and spend money while waiting to get on the plane. Wi-Fi keeps us all sane and if it’s a good signal then I can at least try to focus on my iPad and phone. Good Wi-Fi would help me be not so distracted by the people facetiming, listening to music without headphones, and/or talking loud on their phones. At least I’ll have something to do so I can try to ignore them.

So many different languages spoken all at once makes me crazy to listen to. I know that English isn’t everyone’s first langue and that’s totally ok, but there is something about being in an airport hearing people talk super loud around you and you don’t understand what they are saying. I guess this is a problem that I have, and it can’t be fixed, it’s just something that I dislike about being at the airport.

Along with loud adults on their phone, the crazy kids running all around drives me nuts! I know people want their kids to get their energy out while waiting for the plane at the gate, so they sleep on the plane (thank you parents, very thoughtful), but why do some people not discipline their children? Kids should not be jumping on my carryon bag or asking me for my snacks! I’m not mad at the kids, I’m mad at the parents. It’s super stressful to travel with a child, but if you’re willing to take that vacation to NYC or Las Vegas with little kids then you should expect the rest of the plane to stare at you when your kids act up. Meltdowns, crying babies, and bratty kids don’t bother me, it’s the while undisciplined crazy ones that make me angry because the parents don’t care to control them. Seat kicking by a child is fine for a short amount of time, but if I don’t hear the parent tell them to stop, I will turn around and tell them myself. Sometimes I get the looks from the parents thinking “who do they think they are?” but I know deep down that they feel bad they didn’t ask their kid to stop earlier.

Line jumpers and pushes to get onto the plane make me so irritated. Its common knowledge that the plane will not leave until all the passengers have boarded. I don’t understand people rushing to the gate when their rows are called, or the people who don’t listen to the gate attendance and just go whenever they want. The plane isn’t leaving early people! We all have to get on! If you’re not traveling with little ones, elderly or handicap why are you in such a hurry to get onto the plane?

Overall, traveling is a great once you arrive at your desired location, but it can be a nightmare getting there. Of course I will continue to travel alone, with family and friends, but I will always be observing the habits and quirky behaviors of the human race. Maybe one day someone will find something annoying about me and my travel habits to blog about.