I fully understand that for the Airlines and the travel industry as a whole, the resumption of passenger volume at or near pre-pandemic levels is a welcome relief . For many though, there is a dark, aggravating downside to this.
With the return of wide spread air travel, airports and planes are once again filled with....
The general travelling public.
As I sit here in the San Francisco International Airport. I find myself missing the heydays of the Covid 19 lockdown. When if you were flying,, it was out of necessity not desire. Consequently, the majority of travelers you encountered were seasoned fliers who understood both the basics and nuances of air travel.
We are now back to the reality of masses of people for whom:
- The concept of a boarding group number
- The mechanics of escalators and moving walkways
- The ability to form an orderly queue
- The basic physics of overhead storage space
- The finite degree to which a seat can recline
Are all clearly complete mysteries.
People who who think a full sized suitcase somehow meets the definition of a "personal item such as a purse or laptop ".
All those challenges however, pale in comparison to grasping the idea that these folks and their assorted family members could have selected seats when they booked their flight. Or even before they came to airport using online check in.
Instead they have no problem turning boarding the plane into an elaborate game of "Let's Make A Deal". Delaying the entire process while they beg, plead, cajole, demand and even try to guilt and bully people who had the foresight to select seats beforehand into giving them up because they all just HAVE TO BE TOGETHER!
The reasons for this I can only assume is so they can help each other find their shoes at the end of the flight. Because they consider a pressurized confined semi public space a perfectly acceptable place to take them off.
Now don't get me wrong, very experienced travelers can be just as bad . My personal favorite being frequent fliers whose company books them in economy class and they MUST get an upgrade no matter what, or the world will apparently come to a cataclysmic end.
The core issue is, in my not so humble opinion, one of people not understanding the basic reality that when you are an airline passenger you are NOT in control.... of ANYTHING.
None of the complex multitude of variables and logistical elements that need to all come together for even the most basic of short haul flights are in your ability to control.
My beef with the "Travelling General Public" is the entitled belief many hold that air travel should be as convenient and geared to their wants as driving their own car would be. Car travel is an individual experience. Air travel is a collective group experience. One where everyone needs to make small accommodations for the collective good.
Think of checking that clearly oversized carry-on, or making that smallest of efforts to not jump up and block the boarding lane when they call for boarding group 2 when you are in group 5 as the post pandemic equivalent of wearing a mask or social distancing.
Do it for all of us , and we will all get where we are going .
Ok...I feel better now. Excuse me while I go find an $11 cup of coffee.
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