18 most annoying things people do in airports (CNN) -- Whether theyre cutting their fingernails mid-flight or aggressively establishing armrest hegemony, weve already addressed the most irritating things travelers do on airplanes. But what about the airport itself? Shouldnt it be easy to escape your fellow fliers antisocial behavior in a space as large as an arrival hall or a departure terminal? Sadly, it isnt. As this list of annoying airport behaviors supplied by CNN Travel staff, writers and readers shows, courtesy and sense (neither are as common as they ought to be) are often the first two things to fly out of the gates. Got an irksome airport behavior to vent about? Share it in the comments below. 1. Traveling without moving Moving walkways -- travelators, if you want to get fancy -- are delightful. They make us feel like super people (If only we could always walk this fast!) and help us get to our gates without feeling like we just ran the New York City Marathon. Some travelers, however, apparently feel they were designed like a theme park ride, meant to be enjoyed arm-in-arm with their amour and shopping bags as they gawk at the exotic sights passing by at 1 mph. Standing to the side to make room for travelers with a plane to catch remains an unattainable skill to an aggravating number of passengers. 2. Surprised by security Most veteran travelers glide through security checkpoints with little drama. Even travel newbies can read directions posted at said checkpoints and readily adapt. So whats with the people who always look like theyve been told the existence of alien life has just been confirmed when their liter-bottle of water is confiscated and theyre asked to take their laptop out of the bag before it goes through the scanner? More than a decade into the era of airport hyper-vigilance, the security stumble remains a perplexing airport behavior Would it hurt everyone to stand back a few feet? Would it hurt everyone to stand back a few feet? 3. Crowding the baggage carousel A baggage carousel is an easy concept to grasp. You stand back a few feet, watch a conveyer belt inch along, then slip in and grab your suitcase before swiftly retreating to make room for other travelers. Alas, retrieving luggage is rarely so hassle-free, thanks to an impatient few who press their shins against the carousel, guarding the belt like power forwards protecting the rim in the closing seconds of the NBA Finals. Some even push aside the elderly and children with their carts to secure a space directly in front of the little door flaps the bags slide through, forcing the rest of us to shove through the scrum when our suitcases appear. 4. Arriving late accidentally on purpose Ever show up at the airport late and have the check-in staff kindly allow you to jump to the front of the line so you dont miss your flight? Ever do this multiple times, on purpose, knowing full well youll be allowed to skip the queue? Trust us. These people exist. 5. Re-packing overweight baggage at the counter The line at the check-in counter is so long its starting to merge with the Sbarro line in the next concourse. Finally you make it to the front, only to be held up by the guy whos shocked to find his 200-pound suitcase is over the weight limit and going to cost him a weeks salary to check. His next move? Frantically shuffling a few pairs of socks and a tube of toothpaste into another bag to get the weight down -- 197 pounds is cool, right? -- before breaking into a loud soliloquy lamenting the injustices faced by travelers on this airline that hell never fly with again. That cologne smells great. We don\t want it. That cologne smells great. We dont want it. 6. Duty-free shadowing Sometimes its the airport staff that does annoying things. Example: overzealous duty-free shop employees. All we wandered in here for was a bottle of cheap vodka. We dont need to be followed around and spritzed with perfume as a lady with immaculately applied makeup (in fairness, she does spend her days surrounded by expensive cosmetics) tries to upsell us on the smooth taste of a $2,000 bottle of whisky. 7.Seat-hogging Nothing beats the sweet bliss of not sitting next to someone when youre waiting for a flight. We dont want to bump elbows with others any more than others want to trade breathing particulates with us. But in a civilized society, seats are meant to have one thing and one thing only placed on them. Heres a hint: that something isnt suitcases, food trays or computers. Theres a name for that one thing meant to be put in a chair -- ironically, it doubles as a description for the kind of people who take up three seats in a crowded departure lounge with their jacket, shopping bags and assorted carrion. This is why they invented headphones. This is why they invented headphones. 8. Videos at full volume Nobody cares if someone wants to pass the time waiting for a plane by zoning out with the mind-numbing pleasure of Candy Crush or Hot Tub Time Machine. Just not on the iPad. At full volume. Theres a reason they sell ear buds and headphones at every third shop in the concourse on the walk to the gate. 9. Kid wilding Granted, nobody knows how to parent other peoples kids better than we do. And even childless travelers need to chill out and stop griping while little ones burn off some energy before a four-hour flight. But shouldnt not allowing children to climb over seats, maul strangers with wet paws and screech at nine-second intervals be a requisite skill for parents who travel with tot terrors? 10. Getting hammered in the airport bar Getting a head start on a vacation is a time-honored tradition, but so is waiting until after the rest of humanity has finished breakfast before starting in with the beer-scented belching and pontificating on the referees who completely blew last nights game. Its an airport, not a frat house. 11. Bogarting electrical outlets You know the guy. Hes got a Kindle, laptop, iPhone and iPad in his backpack. And he needs to charge them all before the flight. At the same time. Using the only two outlets within a 100-meter radius. 12. Bringing your last puff onto the plane Some travelers need a nic fix before a flight. Fine. But for those who dont smoke, that last ciggie huffed down 90 seconds before boarding makes a lasting impression. A breath mint should be mandatory after a hurried puff puff session. Even smokers shouldnt get on a plane smelling so bad the Marlboro Man would ask to change seats if he had to sit next to them. 13. Currency confusion Oh sorry, thats a not a quarter. Just wait, I think I have a couple dimes kicking around in here. Theres a right way and a wrong way to get rid of foreign coins before you leave a country. The first is donating them. The second is trying to identify each one then matching the total with the cost of three bags of candy (nice try at a souvenir, by the way) at the gift shop while six other customers stand around waiting for The Price is Right game at the counter to end. 14. Bare feet If theres any need to elaborate on this one, youre too far gone to be helped, anyway. 15. Gate lurking Its no picnic being in boarding group Z. But fliers who lurk around the boarding gate like theyre casing a mark for a robbery -- waiting for ground crew staff to announce its time to roll so they can be the first on the plane to hog the overhead bins -- sort of force the rest of us to do the same thing. Occasionally, there is justice. The truly bold of this bratty bunch can sometimes be spotted feigning innocence when a gate agent calls them out for trying to board before their row is called or slipping in with the business-class passengers. Follow the rules and we\ll all get along just fine. Follow the rules and well all get along just fine. 16. Holding up the immigration line Immigration desks simply arent happy places. People who hold things up by not filling in the details on their paperwork only make the experience more miserable for the rest of us. 17. Power-tripping Its gratifying when airport staff bust travelers guilty of the above behaviors. But when theyre just being plain miserable to everybody? It sets the tone for a bad trip. We know airport jobs are serious, important and, at times, incredibly stressful. But (true story) is it really necessary to make an eight-year-old cry because she forgot to throw away her juice box before her backpack went through the X-ray scanner? 18. Taxi touting When youve just gotten off a 12-hour flight in a country youve never been to, even the simplest acts can be a challenge. Like finding transportation. Everyone needs to make a living, but we shouldnt have to negotiate a phalanx of unscrupulous touts who skulk around arrival halls preying on the weary and confused, insisting on providing rides into town for quadruple the price of a regular taxi. edition.cnn/2014/10/06/travel/annoying-airport-behavior/
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 09:49:48 +0000
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