A slightly different form of DYKWIA, but i think it qualifies never the less. Yesterday (Saturday) I was checking into the First wing at T5 - was much busier than usual due the start of half term (plus the site of so many kids gave that one away). Anyway after what felt like an eternity (ie 5 minutes) I proceeded to the security area and saw a queue stretching to the entry gates. Turns out in addition to the holidays, one of the x ray machines was down, so we all had to queue for one machine.

I could hear lots of people muttering about how unusual this was and there was a family of 4 just behind me - father busy micro managing his 2 kids (a boy and a girl between 6 and 8 I’m guessing) whilst the ‘posh’ mother was looking annoyed at the queue. An old gentlemen behind her, in high spirits, casually asked the mother was it half term because he’s never seen it so busy.

“Yes, it’s half term this week, but my 2 get 2 weeks off” she said, pointing out at the 2 kids in front her. The old guy was asked where he was flying to and responded “Mexico City” and some other destinations in Mexico (I think). The mother replied they were all off to New York for a week long break, but that her two kids actually had 2 weeks off, not one (at that point I knew exactly what she was trying to convey, and loudly).

There was some polite but brief chatter about where each had visited around the world, the old guy was clearly well travelled from his long, long list of destinations, and you could see the mother didn’t have much to counter back with, except she kept raising the point about “these two get 2 weeks holiday” and pointing at her kids despite the old guy not picking up on it in conversation and only talking about travel destinations.

Eventually after what must have been 5 or 6 mentions of 2 weeks half term, not one, she eventually said something like “well that’s the thing about private educational organizations, the holidays are longer...” loud enough for others to hear and roll their eyes at.

So I thought if this was such an important thing to convey despite not being asked about it, perhaps others on FlyerTalk should be made aware that it’s now half term, but her kids have 2 weeks off, NOT 1 because they are in private education.

Or, another way of putting in case that wasn’t clear, is that her two kids are in PRIVATE EDUCATION and so get 2 weeks half term holidays, not one.

PS I have created an infographic to illustrate this even more clearly - please PM if you are interested.