SwissBritMiss

I absolutely love this thread and am only sad that now I am mostly ex-ZRH and not LHR, I don't have a dedicated thread (nor indeed do I see much of this behaviour, though the annoying clapping on a successful landing does seem more prevalent on the Star(k) side.

Nevertheless, if I may, a few compiled stories from the past:

* in CPH many years ago, extremely loud and obnoxious finance-type in late twenties. The ones who give us a bad name. Spouting bile at a junior and giving enough details about a behind-the-wall deal that I could recognise, being peripherally involved. I found the guy quite quickly on LinkedIn, and when the convo ended, asked him cordially, "is this you? I generally have a no jerks policy. Shall we find out if your boss does too? If not, am sure that your compliance department will love you sharing public info about Project X."

* not so much DYKWIA as "I didn't know who he was", I struck up a fascinating convo in ZRH with a gentleman who downgraded himself from J to middle seat Y to carry on our conversation. (Lady originally seated thought she struck the lottery, and we got a lot of free champagne snuck back in paper cups). In a boozy haze, I just recall recommending FT to him, and only when I got back did I find out... He had been a regional head of a very prominent private jet company. Doh.

HilFly

Does the fact that they were obese add anything to this story? I hope you checked their BMI.

KARFA

I am sure it makes a big difference if you are being physically barged by them. Being hit by a slim person doesn't quite have the same impact

IAN-UK

My point, exactly.

Sadly, others get stuck in the rut of detecting racial stereotyping, which has nothing to do with it.

It's simply the inexperienced following the example of more confident players, or seeking assistance from them. And clearly synchronicity in background gives reassurance in many ways.



If mirroring is detected, the graceful thing to do is invite the less confident to join you in your progress, rather than sniggger at their behaviour as piggy-backers or sidlers.

Deckard

Turned up at first check in at JFK and paused at the tensa to finish my e-corresponding. First was unmanned but crew was. Gentleman, wife and daughters walked past business checkin and gentleman proceeded to crew checkin. Wife remonstrated "this is first class". He gestured at the BAEC sign and said "Executive Club". I finished my e-stuff and queued behind them. 8 to be checked baggage items prominently festooned with silver tags. Whilst waiting to be processed I noticed that one of the ladies in Business checkin was free and just relocated there to check in.

Ps. Yes they all COULD have been gold and just choosing to use silver tags. And yes I did see their boarding passes later and they were all in the bubble.

Steve in Olympia

Yes, the size of the people adds a great deal to this story. Simple fact.

Calchas

Are we required to honour the principles of Chekhov's gun before posting here?

Ancient Observer

I realise that there are many *-ists that we are not allowed to be any more. However, we are allowed to be fat-ist and height-ist.

South London Bon Viveur

Yes you can- provided that neither weight nor height is so severely off the norm that the person could claim to be disabled

LTN Phobia

I think pianists, violinists and cellists are still OK but only if they aren't being a DYKWIA.

pablol

Or bringing said instruments as hand luggage.

shadowline

This is beautiful.

London_traveller

My oh my this brought back an old memory! Many moons ago when I worked at an airport, passenger X was travelling with his cello, booked into it's own seat in economy, next to him. Nothing too unusual there. He'd requested priority boarding in order to avoid others possibly banging into his cello (which was nevertheless in a hard case, as you'd imagine). Also, this was a fairly boring scheduled flight to a European city - not a charter to Ibiza and unlikely to be the kind of scrum you sometimes get.

Anyway, the departing plane ended up on a remote stand. Well, the kerfuffle at the gate when we explained to him boarding had to be via bus. He demanded a car of his own to take him to the aircraft (not possible). I gave him the option of either getting on the bus first, or getting on last so that he'd be up the steps to the aircraft first. He went for the former but wanted a personal escort, and not without further complaint about his shoddy treatment. None of us fully understood his depth of fear in relation to what might happen to his cello (in a hard case). I'd seriously never witnessed a mother behave like that with her baby before, let alone a cello. But then if playing is his life and it's worth a lot, I should cut him some slack.

When checking the boarding passes at the gate I recall my colleague cracking a small joke with him about checking the other passport (he had two boarding passes, one was for, literally, Mr Cello). It didn't go down well.

dewidaniels

I remember hearing an interview with a cellist on Radio 3. He'd booked a seat for his cello. He was sitting at the gate when he heard the announcement, "Could Mr Cello please make himself known to the gate agents?"

crazy8534

Not really sure if this should be here, and at that who the DYKWIA is but it made me smile at the time..

I was row 1 CE on Sunday and had put my small rollaboard and laptop bag up in the overhead which was then closed, not by me I don't think but possibly by a crew member. Anyway, 1D comes onboard and opens the locker, quite obviously to put his bag in. Before he does this he is re-combobulating a bit whilst standing by his seat and in that time 2D jumps up and slots his bag in! Well, to say that 1D didn't take this too well would be something of an understatement and he proceeds to shout at the guy that he had "just opened it so it is obviously mine" and makes 2D take his bag out of the overhead bin and move it back. I was quite astounded to see 2D comply with a total absence of pugilistic intent, but then I may have spent too much time in GLA recently .

EDI-LHR completely full of angry media types at the moment what with the festival etc.!