Rant about airports - iameven.com
My experience when departing from Bangkok Airport. A lot of queuing gave me time to observe and think about peoples behavior.
People in airports are stupid (maybe I should make that an even more general statement, like people are stupid, but I'll keep that one for another time). I recently traveled from Melbourne to Bangkok, and two weeks later from Bangkok to Oslo, and I made a couple of observations.
- Airports are the easiest places in the world to navigate. Everything is clearly marked, with mostly consistent signs and huge letters to define sections.
- people can't read, or they don't want to.
- Status and being in a hurry apparently grant privileges.
- Apparently they grant you the right to be rude as well.
I mean, it's not that hard. If people are in line they are probably waiting to do the same thing as you are. They are not standing there for fun, they are queuing up. Try it some time, people will respect you for not just trying to sneak your way past them.
Read the instruction. Some times the wait in a queue is half an hour. Why don't you use some of that time to locate your passport and papers instead of using ridiculously long time at the counter making the rest of us having to wait even longer? It is up there, in huge letters on the wall. "Please have your passport and papers ready for inspection". In Bangkok airport it was the only thing written in proper English without errors. I know because I read it 431 times before reaching the counter.
If you're in a hurry you do not have to push every single person in the hallway, sometimes going out of your way to push people. You're already pushing peoples patience when you're sneaking by them in the queue without saying sorry or asking for permission.
- If you go to the counter marked baggage drop to check in, you're doing it wrong.
- If you go to the counter marked Internet check-in, without having checked in on the Internet, you're doing it wrong.
- If you then proceed to queue up for the Check-in in front of me because you did it wrong, you're doing it wrong.
When you come to the Security, try not spilling the contents of your bag on the floor. After that, try walking through the metal detector one at a time, yet again, as instructed.
Yes, I experienced all this in Bangkok Airport.