Tobias-UK

Indeed. My eldest brother has a chronic back problem, had many operations on it. He goes on cross country walks, walking 100+ miles a week for 6-8 weeks at a time, but he cannot lift anything, he can only bend down if it's done slowly and if he stands still for more than a couple of minutes he's in agony.

GentleGiant

So if this is acceptable in your eyes, then so is boarding the plane by others.

A bit rich moaning about certain people jumping queues to board yet accepting their jumping of queues in other situations. What gives one person with a condition priority? How do you know what pain or discomfort anyone on the buggy was in?

I was merely pointing out the possibility that he thought that being a gold card holder gave him priority without any polite request which I am sure would have been granted,

if you can't see that - then fair enough

charlesrhona

Totally agree. My wife is also in the same position with MS although still mobile and she hates having to use a wheelchair. However, stairs can be a problem for her as are the long distances walking and standing between T3 and T4 transfers from T5 so this makes assistance necessary. T5 - T5 is not a problem and we just make our own way there subject to having plenty of time.

T8191

I have had ‘a back’ since 1980, so have total sympathy with all back sufferers from whatever cause. Certain postures and actions are fine, but if I miss the key point/angle/loading ... that’s me semi-crippled for several days. I’m incredibly careful when lifting cases onto the belt at check-in, for example, and try to get the belt to do a lot of the work. I may look like an idiot, but at least it’s safe!

Flying is not a natural environment, with oddly shaped seats and restricted space. It’s too easy to get ‘set’ into a bad posture, to reap the negativity when you next try to move.

LTN Phobia

I'm one of those but my phobia of looking like a DYKWIA* is such that I just put up and join and stay in the normal queue, or I might just feel obliged to report myself on the thread.

DYKWIA-look-alike-phobia can go too far though. I'm still suffering from queuing in the SYD airport mess nearly a week ago.

*Almost a dead cert, being in heels and carrying no form of mobility aids

bisonrav

Not quite DYKWIA, but amusing in a similar vein. On a flight back from a day trip to Geneva today, in ET, row 7. A male/female couple decided to self-upgrade to the back of CE, big couple, all bling and gilt medallions. About four minutes later they were clocked by the CSD who politely but firmly sent them back to row 25 or whatever it was they were in.

So that was that, or so I thought.

Then we landed, taxied to a remote stand, engines whirred and whined down, seatbelt lights still on, and the same couple came haring down the aisle past me at very high speed. A fraction of a second later the seatbelt light came on and had they been slightly less Usain Boltish they would have gone arse over tit over me as I stood up to open the overhead. As it was they hit the back of CE standing up and ground to a satisfying halt.

The flight was in early, so this wasn't likely to be a tight or late connection. Seemed just to be a inflated sense of self importance and maybe wanting to get to the passport gates quickly. The funny thing was that the remote stand put us right at the extreme end of the terminal, so it took everyone a long time to get back.

DYKWIA

I was convinced you were going to say the plane was then emptied from the rear stairs

Beaulieu

On 114 yesterday out of JFK. Flight was called in the CCR, everyone took about 5 mins to get up and get ready. When we got to the queue, group 3 was just called for boarding - a single queue for 1-2-3 out of gate 4 - but fairly short and there were about 6 of us coming out of the CCR at the same so just joined the back.

Anyway, just about to get to the front and a woman and her husband stormed past us claiming they have priority over everyone... unfortunately the queue agent didn’t send them to the back but resulted in some rather pointed comments from literally everyone else in the queue. Unfortunately it took them a little while at the desk and took them a little while to get through. Had to stop for duty free and boarded quite a way back, but all the way down the bridge people made rather loud comments about them.

Vinotraveller

Arriving back in from TLS last week a chap in 1F jumped up from his seat before the plane had even come to a halt at the gate. He was instructed firmly by crew to sit down until the sign was off. By coincidence I ended up standing in front of him while waiting to disembark (he had been faffing around with his bag), and he decided to try and push past me even though the door had not even opened. Being a 6ft 1 ex rugby prop I naturally blocked his attempt and asked what he was trying to do. His response "Do you have a connection?" to which I responded "yes I do". He then asked me where my next flight was going. I just told him "that is not information you need to know". He shut up after that. I should add our flight had arrived into Heathrow early at an A gate right beside flight connections so no idea what his problem was.The flight crew gave me a very cheery goodbye and grins all round so I assume they approved of my refusal to let the jumped up idiot get his own way!

Gold Digger

So, as promised on another thread (this one), I witnessed, or rather, overheard what can only be described as textbook DYKWIA. To give some context, BA206 (MIA to LHR) last Friday was already delayed by some 3 hours due to a technical issue with the inbound aircraft and as we pulled away from the airbridge, we were told that the starter motor on one of the engines had blown and so there was an undetermined delay while the ground maintenance crew fixed it. Anyway, at the start of what was going to be a further 4 hour delay, this was going on a few seats away..

DYKWIA: Is this the GGL Line? Now listen here, I have just been told that this already delayed flight is going to be delayed while a technical issue is looked into [PAUSE]. I MUST be in London tomorrow morning and I can see there is a BA A380 parked next door and so I need you to book me a seat on that flight. I have travelled on this route around 12 times in the past XX months and I have spent a lot of money with BA [PAUSE].....What do you mean??........ Now, I need you to do this as I have spent a lot of money with BA..... What?.........Well, you need to speak to your supervisor and then speak to the Captain to open the door [PAUSE].....What?....You're telling me that British airways is unable to contact their pilots in the cockpit? I know for a fact that is untrue and so you are lying to me. [PAUSE]. Stop saying "totally" after everything I say. I need you to stop talking and sort this out now. Just get me off this flight and onto the other one. You must provide a solution....you must provide a solution.....

At this point I zoned out...I think the conversation ended and the GGL line called back essentially saying that there was nothing to do but just sit out the delay. Now, I appreciate that there are people who spend a lot of money with BA and so understandably perhaps have some expectations to be treated differently to others, but what happens to their sense of reality??!
GD

South London Bon Viveur

It's clear that the majority of DYKWIA incidents happen at boarding.

The other day someone pushed past me in the queue, although admittedly I was slightly hesitant in moving off straight away as Group 1 was called, because I was waiting to see if people ahead of me were moving, but they were not (presumably they were not in Group 1) and it took me a few seconds to realise that, by which time I had been overtaken. Not a big deal. But I do wonder whether having signs with group numbers 1-3 listed as priority is actually counter-productive, because on most flights that cohort is bigger than non-priority and there is invariably someone that steams right to the front assuming all of those in the priority queue have no right to be there, or are merely crowding the area (and sometimes this is indeed the case), only to then either walk back in disgust or try and crowd around the front of the queue. I wonder whether actually it would be much easier if there was a sterile area around the boarding area with everyone told to sit down or stand away from the boarding area until their group is called.

T8191

Curiously that is exactly what happened with our 777 at LGW Gate 27 on Saturday on the way to CPT (oops, DYKWIA!). With no Tensa barriers anywhere, and with the standard BA notice parked against the wall, everyone just hung back! Maybe a 5 metre open space in front of the desks, and everyone (247 pax, IIRC) just standing around until called!! I’ve never seen the like!

jwhite9185

Not really a DYKWIA, but more a case of not really knowing any different I suspect. Still, it provided me with a "wait for it" moment.

The early flight to NCE the other morning wasn't particularly full, and especially in Club, where there was just one person in the 5 rows. I was in row 6, and had a family taking up the rest of the row. The young lad was desperate he wanted a window seat so the dad told him to wait until after take off and go and sit in one of the spare seats in front of the curtain, as "they wont notice".

Well, sure enough as soon as the seatbelt sign went off, the young lad gathered his things and installed himself in row 5. This lasted the grand total of the amount of time it took the crew to walk from the front galley to close the curtain, where the young lad was put back into his original seat.

He came back and said to the dad that it was business class, so couldn't sit there. The dad muttered "ridiculous" under his breath.

To be honest, I don't see why the crew couldn't have let him stay put, and just not fed him, seeing as he wasn't causing any trouble - and it would have meant the middle seat in my row would have remained free. So much for theoretical seat blocking when there were plenty of spare seats in Y too... oh look, turns out I'M the DYKWIA in this story!!

alex67500

England *can* be very organised when it comes to queuing. Some even call it a religion.
Obviously, if people are queuing in an orderly fashion, you're getting the first dividend from Brexit!
</sarcasm>

cjb666

I was recently on an AA flight that went tech in Barcelona. The lady next to me was Concierge Key. The CK team phoned her, got her off the flight and onto the plane next to me which was the last opportunity to get to the US on that day. They clearly knew who she was. Can you imagine BA doing that?