DYKWIA | 2020/21 edition
 

This thread is a continuation of the ever popular https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...9-edition.html thread.

Airports are funny places. While they are increasingly designed to both complement and positively influence human behaviour, some of our fellow passengers do on occasion suffer a complete loss of composure and/or self awareness. This thread celebrates those amusing lapses of, well, lets call it social etiquette.

We also have a sister thread dedicated to our musings of the use of Executive Club baggage tags, fair or faux pas, which you can find here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...statement.html

I'll start us off.

It's more a case of advice needed as to who was the DYKWIA.

Boarding at Stockholm yesterday, and it was gate lice central. The flight was a little delayed so there was a bit of waiting around involved too. Rather large woman was stood nearest the boarding door, and certainly giving me the evil eye on more than a few occasions. I saw from her boarding pass she had group 1. Group 1 was called and I made my way forwards, letting her go first as I could see that she was entitled to actually be there.

She wasn't happy with this though and she was straight in there saying "THERES A QUEUE YOU KNOW".

(Reality was, it was a mess as opposed to any form of queue)

Now, what I should have said was something along the lines of, yes, but they have just called group 1 and I'm pretty sure this whole mass of people doesn't hold group 1 boarding.

What actually happened was I came across as a bit of an arse by saying, yes, I know, and I've been waiting here at the front a lot longer than the people who have just rolled up at the back.

Her response was "BUT THERES A QUEUE AND YOU'RE NOT IN IT"

I couldn't be bothered to converse any more with her. Group boarding wasn't enforced at all, as from seeing a few more boarding passes ahead of me, there was a few group 4's in there.

Given where I live I have learnt to accept that some people's perception of reality is different from mine, and I've spent the last seven months humouring, ignoring or coping with them.

Difficult one this, I guess it partly depends on whether the others present were in a 'queue' (her) or 'mess' (you) or where in between. In any event seems like she over-reacted. Good call letting it go imo.

Some of my favourite queuing etiquette:

1. A clear line of people standing is formed and others who have been sitting until boarding feel they are entitled to stand up and join the part of the queue closest to where they were sitting,
2. People already in the queue invite travel companions to join them and walk past others who were already standing in the queue (I have started to call people out on this)

This set me thinking. Every now and again I will end up getting to the gate early and take a seat next to the barriers. Over time, a queue will form including people standing right in front of me. When my group is called I am one of those people who will just get up and present my documents.

I had always thought that this was reasonable as I have been waiting by the barriers just like the people who arrived later than me and chose to stand in a line, rather than taking one of the further away seats. But maybe I'm wrong. Have never thought of myself as a particularly DYKWIA type of a person, so if I've been behaving badly today feels like a good day for new resolutions.

Would welcome a judgment from the FT hive mind.

Was boarding a 747 LAX to LHR just before Christmas
Waiting for the boarding announcement

They suddenly called group 1 and 2 together (why do they do this!)

There then followed a scrum

My other half had made it to the front , I was behind, I pushed my way forward to which I received an objection from someone that I was overtaking, obviously he was in group 1 or 2 ; I just pointed to my other half and said Im with him and kept my head down (sorry)

death is too good for you. Happy new year :D

I'm a bit split here. Points lost right at the outset I'm afraid for using the condescending term "gate lice". There are also undoubtably other people (and I'm certainly not suggesting you're guilty of this) out there who feign ignorance of boarding queues where these aren't so well managed by the airport involved in order to get on earlier (hello, Brussels). The Lady concerned on the other hand also made far too much of it but certainly queue-jumping whether it's perceived correctly or not is one thing that annoys many. Some points won back again for not pushing it further.

Not sure I see the issue with this unless they are bringing a school bus full of kids forward. If it’s just a person or two I wouldn’t bat an eyelid as it’s pretty normal behaviour.

Wasn't my intention to appear condescending. I was under the impression it was a pretty common term for a mass of people crowding the gate area.

I find “queue” more common.

But if they are not in a queue, then the alternative term is most descriptive.

Pejorative. Not descriptive.

Disorganised ...
Herd/horde
Gaggle
Mass

Whichever, we know what ‘gate lice’ means ... opportunists. ;)