Airport Observations

Have you ever noticed the different types of passengers at the airport. There are the calm and collected passengers who have arrived well before their flight time. Sometimes I finish my appointments early and I am actually one of these passengers. Then there are the clueless passengers. These passengers obviously rarely fly. You can particularly locate them during the security process. Maybe the college-aged male who refuses to remove his shoes because he is disgusted by the fact that he has to walk barefooted on the floor. Or the case in California where the woman sent the very young baby through the x-ray machine!!! You can also pray that you don't get behind one of the clueless passengers if you happen to be the next type of passenger, which is the passenger who is in serious danger of missing his/her flight. You can locate them by the frenzied, stressed expression on their face. This is the category that I fit in most of the time. Perfect timing for me is when I park my car, go through security, walk straight to the gate and then walk straight onto the plane because most of the passengers have already boarded. It is a miracle that I have missed only 2 flights in my lifetime (only one of those was I truly responsible for missing).

Then there is the waiting at the airport. Most people handle delays with grace and class. Others, not so much! My personal favorites are those who demand to be put on a flight. Like the airlines can control the weather. Or would they really want to be on a plane with mechanical problems?! I love the passengers who spend the time waiting by having extensive phone conversations about private details. My personal favorite is the woman who shared with everyone in earshot the details of her weekend with her "boyfriend". He was afraid that she would be upset that he had recently gotten married. Have no fear, she was happy for him. She feels that everyone should be married. After all, she is married, too!

Sometimes there is a gate change. The agent makes the announcement. There is a collective sigh and then the mass of people move from one gate to the next. Thirty minutes later, another gate change. There is a louder collective sigh and the mass of people move almost in unison to the new gate. Finally, it is time to board. You have the people who have been waiting in their boarding group line for at least 30 minutes. After all, it is so very important to be the first one on the plane!! Then there are those who try to cut into a boarding group that is not theirs. Because, once again, it is very important to be one of the first ones on the plane. I like to sit down until the last of my boarding group is getting on the plane. Then I get at the end of the line and walk right onto the plane. You get on the plane and there is a distinctive boarding pattern. People take the window and the aisle seats first from the front of the plane to the back. The middle seat is almost always empty if space allows. Some people put a bag or a jacket in the middle seat in order to discourage you from sitting there. Eye contact is avoided! Of course, sometimes you just have to sit by them. You ask if that seat is taken and you can see the disappointment in their eyes. Oh no! They have to sit by somebody. Passengers on the plane are also interesting. Most are quiet and have rare conversation with those around them if they do not know those around them. I think the rudest passenger is the passenger who leans their seat back when someone is sitting behind them. There is so little space to begin with so why infringe even more on the space that the passenger behind you has?

There have been a few interesting passengers on the plane. Like the divorcee having a conversation with an available male. She can best be described as looking as if she has a lot of money, a little taste, and loose morals. She talked the entire flight about herself. "I am wonderful, my ex is awful, I do this, I do that, I have people wanting me to work for them all the time, I am great, I am wonderful" The poor guy said maybe 2 words the entire flight. That same flight I was sitting next to a mother and daughter pair. They did not speak English. They were obviously on their first plane ever and it was EXCITING. The mother was gripping her purse on take-off and landing. The mother read the safety information sheet the entire flight. The daughter turned on her cell phone. Different days bring different types of passengers. The early morning flight to Houston is always full of Southwest employees heading to work. Sunday evening flights always make me sad because there are a lot of unaccompanied minors clutching their backpacks who are travelling between their divorced parents.

Finally back home, I hope for a gate close to the exit. If I wore the wrong shoes (those that hurt) then I am almost always at the gate far, far away from the exit. It seems to take twice as long as normal to drive home and then I am finally home at last! That is my favorite place in the entire world!