Air Houston

I leave a bottled of water in my computer bag at least once a month.

RandomNobody

Last December, in EVA J I was the first to board, showed the FA the stub, and the FA proceeded to escort me to my seat. I stopped at my seat and started unloading, while the FA kept walking. I looked at her funny when she turned around wondering where I was and motioned to follow her. "This is my seat." She quickly walks back to me and re-checks my BP and gives me an embarrassed giggle and tells me I'm right and welcomes me aboard.

Gamecock

Last year I flew US from PHL-MUC in their reverse herringbone configuration, first time. I was so blown away that a US carrier could have such a J nice cabin I proceeded to plop down in the wrong seat.

FirstInFlight

I flew to HKG and booked a Hilton that is close to - but not actually within HKG. Meaning that it is in mainland China and there is no TWOV option there and at that time we lacked a visa for one in our party. Total rookie move.

lhrsfo

The problem is that every airport seems to have different rules. Some let you leave the laptop in, some make you take it out. Some make you take your shoes off. Some make you take your belt off. Some want you to empty your pockets.

There is no standard procedure for going through Security at airports, except your home airport - so it's easy to get it wrong at an away airport. And airports in the US are particularly moronic with two different types of security depending upon whether they like you or not.

burbuja0512

Agree... I was wondering about recurring amateur habits when I originally posted, but the moments are funny, so it's all good.

Ben and Jerry

Not on planes but on trains in Japan I messed up the first time. I had 08A on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto to Tokyo. So I sit down in the left side seat. An older woman shows up with a confused look on her face, and starts to show me her seat assignment: 08D. So I nicely point her to the right side of the train. She keeps showing me her ticket, then finally points to the seat labeling above our heads. Oops! I WAS sitting in 08D, not A. Turns out that on the end stations they actually turn around all the seats on the plane so you sit forward facing....

emma69

A massive pair of kitchen scissors in my laptop bag leaving Tokyo last year. I had obviously thrown them in there when I was leaving one hotel, taking the train to another city, and hadn't been in that pocket of the bag in the 2 weeks that followed. Completely forgot I had them (at the same time, congratulating myself that I remembered, and drank, my water bottle in my purse!) Lady at security looked both horrified I had them, and the fact I didn't care they were being thrown away!

rdurlabhji

I've forgotten ties, belts, etc, as well as taking the wrong seat (usually 15C instead of 14C or something like that). One time I showed up to security with one of the canned air things used to clean computers in my backpack and totally forgot about it. Apparently they are hazardous?

Thunderroad

I do something similar about once every 20 flights. For whatever reason, my coffee-deficient or jet-lagged brain assumes the F seat is really the A seat.

Not as bad and I was luckier, but I made a similar mistake on a business trip. Forgot to switch my very casual shoes for my usual business loafers before going to the airport. Fortunately, I had a long layover in DFW, where there was a decent enough shoe store for me to buy a new pair...that in fact was nicer than the loafers I'd forgotten.

DanishFlyer

I am sure I make other amateur mistakes, but the one last night was my best in a long time.

I had been at camp for 10 days, and was totally exhausted. I spent the night with friends, and expected to take the bus to the airport, keeping the half bottle of soda in my carry-on for that. But then I got a ride, and we were talking (long time, no see kind of talk), and I forgot.

There were 5 other bags in the line to be searched before mine :-(

Thankfully, it was just a "Doh! I forgot a soda", lady pulled it out and swiped my bag and I was good to go. But really. Half a bottle of old soda.

DanishFlyer

FRParth

Like the OP, I also do 150k miles a year or more. Things I've done that made me feel stupid? Showing up at LAX for a flight when my ticket was for Orange County airport. I was so used to automatically driving to LAX that I never thought to look at my ticket.

How about showing up a day early for a flight from LAX to FRA? At least I wasn't a day late.

burbuja0512

OMG I almost did that just the other day. I always fly ORD but I usually fly my kids to see the grandparents on Southwest, which flies out of MDW.

The one time I got a United flight for my daughter, I was halfway to MDW before I realized. Thank goodness it wasn't during rush hour traffic!!

ellyse

First time flying in my life (SIN-NRT then HND-KOJ) I put my passport in my check-in suitcase, then forgot the PIN while we were still doing check-in at SIN. Another girl in my party tirelessly tried combinations until she found the correct one!

First time flying domestically in China (SHA-SZX) I forgot (or didn't realize that I needed it) my passport, which was at a friend's house. Had to call to wake her up and pay for her to come by taxi immediately to the airport.

When flying PVG-DOH, I arrived at PVG about 3 hours before departure time, but the very minute I stepped off the bus I realized I'd forgotten my passport at home. Found a wonderful taxi driver who drove me back home and then back to PVG within 55 mins - very impressive since it's almost 100 km round-trip.

Was going to fly PVG-IST-somewhere in Europe and realized I forgot my passport when I was halfway to the airport on taxi. Turned round right away and went back for it but missed the check-in cut-off time by 10 mins. ���� Boss had to buy me a new CA ticket and he wasn't happy about it, of course.

Was on the train from Shanghai to Xi'an and on the phone talking to another friend whom I'd bought plane tickets for PVG-PEK. Remembering that I'd forgotten to bring my passport the first time when I flew domestically in China (see above) I reminded her to bring her passport. And then, remembered that I didn't bring my passport either, and I'd already bought plane ticket for XIY-PVG as train tickets were sold out. Doh!

On TXL-AUH, I was extremely tired and had a headache, so very thankful that I'd managed to get a whole 4-seater row to myself. Boarded very early (thanks to status) and lay down to get some rest while the rest of the plane boarded. Was woken very politely by a couple as I was in their seats. Grumbling to myself and wondering what happened, I let them into their middle seats. Then double-checked my boarding passes and realized I actually looked (and sat) at my seat number for the AUH-PVG flight instead! Apologised as profusely as I could, and went to the front to find my row (thankfully) unoccupied.

Probably the best one... I showed up at 0740 for SWA-HKG flight at 0910. Check-in agent hesitated to check me in as he said I was too early (!) and they were still doing check-in for SWA-BKK. He looks and says he can check me in if I don't have any check-in luggage - no I don't. Issues me the boarding pass, I'm really tired (long story) so I don't check it, I go through immigration and get stamped out of China. At the security screening line, the agent asks "is anyone else travelling with you?" I'm wondering why on earth they're asking the question and say "no, why?" They tell me that I have the boarding pass for someone else! Walk back to immigration checkpoint and find an officer to walk me back to check-in counter (can't go back on my own as I've technically already left the country) where the agent realizes that he checked in the wrong person and issues my boarding pass, correctly this time. Quite a laugh when I spotted him again at the SWA check-in counter the next day...

Plenty more of the "left water bottle in bag" incidents that aren't really worth a mention...

mpcookson

I once managed to get onto the wrong plane at Dulles. It was a little jump to Charlottesville, but they were loading Charleston and Charlottesville was delayed, but leaving through the same door (A terminal, 6 planes out of the same door, 6 monitors of flight information, you walk out onto the tarmac, etc.).

I had just had a fight with the wife over the phone when the English as a second language gate agent called Charleston in an accent thick enough for me to hear Charlottesville. I have an exit row seat, so when the boarding pass reader flashes red I think nothing of it and continue forward. I'm on the plane in "my" seat, the flight attendant says that since there's only 6 people on the plane we will all have to sit in different locations for balance and moves me forward. A minute later (I've been on the plane for at least 5 minutes at this point) a different gate agent pops their head in the plane and asks for me. "I'm here" I respond. "You're on the wrong plane" they retort, "this is Charleston."

Bright red, I grab my bag as other passengers suggest that no one likes Charlottesville and I should really go to Charleston anyway. I walk back to the terminal (there's a real walk of shame!) expecting to get a thorough talking to by security. Instead the original gate agent says they'll be boarding Charlottesville in a couple of minutes and to have a seat.

I get on the right plane a few minutes later and hear the flight attendant taking to the pilot about the passenger that got on the wrong plane and how they need to double check everyone on this plane. News travels fast on the tarmac! I keep quiet.