What Are Your Top Pre-Flight Air Travel Pet Peeves? The 2016 Edition
May 25, 2016, 3:39 am
#46
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: London
Programs: US Gold
Posts: 627
I have just been reminded of one of mine: the seemingly permanent secrecy with which some airlines regard the identity of the terminal you're flying from. The itinerary AA sends doesn't give this information; it's not on the web version; and as I recently rediscovered on arrival at an unfamiliar airport, it's not on the boarding pass you print out at home. In my view, it should be on all three.
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May 25, 2016, 4:22 am
#47
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,638
1. the failure of any airline to enforce its boarding order. i would like to see the BP scanner beep and reject the passenger who tries to board before their zone is called.
2. the annoying habit of many FAs to close overhead bin doors as they fill up. the only way to convince pax that the bins are full, is if pax can see they are full - i.e., left open. too often, boarding is held up as pax try to open one after another hoping to find space. also too often, someone closes the bin early to hide the fact that it is obviously not full.
2. the annoying habit of many FAs to close overhead bin doors as they fill up. the only way to convince pax that the bins are full, is if pax can see they are full - i.e., left open. too often, boarding is held up as pax try to open one after another hoping to find space. also too often, someone closes the bin early to hide the fact that it is obviously not full.
May 25, 2016, 12:04 pm
#48
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: YYC, YVR & NYC
Programs: *A 50K, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 74
agreed
this would be pure entertainment. I would happily stand watch instead of using my zone 1 boarding to watch people get rejected.
Boarded SFO to YVR and YVR to YYC yesterday. Flew stand by YVR to YYC so I had the opportunity to watch the AC gate agents reject those who weren't in the announced zone sent back. Slows things down but it's so funny to watch.
May 25, 2016, 3:41 pm
#49
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
this would be pure entertainment. I would happily stand watch instead of using my zone 1 boarding to watch people get rejected.
Boarded SFO to YVR and YVR to YYC yesterday. Flew stand by YVR to YYC so I had the opportunity to watch the AC gate agents reject those who weren't in the announced zone sent back. Slows things down but it's so funny to watch.
Boarded SFO to YVR and YVR to YYC yesterday. Flew stand by YVR to YYC so I had the opportunity to watch the AC gate agents reject those who weren't in the announced zone sent back. Slows things down but it's so funny to watch.
May 25, 2016, 6:13 pm
#50
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
"Inconsistent" Security
I don't think "inconsistent" security is the gripe. Maybe for some people, but not for me. It would be super easy to fix "inconsistent" security by uniformly implementing the worst, most annoying security practices, and presto, no more inconsistencies. If sometimes security is easy, with quick lines and no hassle, and other times it sucks with massive lines and hassle after hassle, that's inconsistent, but my gripe is with the latter, and my desired fix is to make it more often the former.
May 25, 2016, 6:17 pm
#51
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
Clueless Travelers
One thing I don't understand is why almost everyone seems shocked to learn they need to remove all metal from their pockets at security. Why do people, even in the Pre-Check lane wait until it's their turn to walk through the metal detector before emptying their pockets? I put my wallet, phone, and other metal in my laptop bag before I get to the airport.
May 25, 2016, 8:30 pm
#52
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MSP (Or FAR if I stay another night at the lake)
Programs: Delta DM (no bag tags), United Silver, Spirit - one and done, IHG Spire, Hertz PC, Avis- owes me one
Posts: 74
Personally, I rather enjoy when my bags take over twenty minutes to hit the belt - at least when I'm flying on Delta. I'm at 7,500 extra SkyMiles thanks to them so far this year.
May 31, 2016, 2:46 pm
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
Programs: AA lifetime GLD; UA Silver; Marriott LTTE; IHG Plat,
Posts: 14,518
May 31, 2016, 2:55 pm
#54
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: DL
Posts: 1
For me it's the people who wait at the top of the X-ray machine belt, grab their belongings, and start re-dressing/re-organizing right there instead of graciously sliding everything down to the END of the belt to get themselves re-situated.
These are the same people who leave their empty bins on the belt and cause them to back things up.
These are the same people who leave their empty bins on the belt and cause them to back things up.
May 31, 2016, 3:45 pm
#55
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Houston
Posts: 8,956
Mine would be when you go and check in and find your F or J seat has been taken from you because a FAM now wants it and you are kicked out of that cabin. And to add to that, the airline isn't officially permitted to tell you the reason.
May 31, 2016, 4:00 pm
#56
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BUF
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 26
Mine is the people in Zone 5 crowding the boarding area during pre-boarding. You have to push through them to get to the door and GA, and so you try to be polite by asking them if they are First Class, so they can sheepishly say know and let you pass.
I wonder if it is carry over from this issue that causes elite passengers to ask those who are young or underdressed whether they belong in the First Class line.
I wonder if it is carry over from this issue that causes elite passengers to ask those who are young or underdressed whether they belong in the First Class line.
May 31, 2016, 4:03 pm
#57
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 10
Overhead Bin Peeves
I travel every other week and I try to make my trips as routine as possible. But my big pet peeves are all around how other travelers use the bins. There is always some smarty pants who uses the first class bin for their roller board when they do not sit in first class (someone already noted this peeve). Luckily, that happened to me once and the FA called the guy back and had him move it. The other peeve is the person who does not stow their 2nd item under their seat, uses up more space in the overhead bin and now has forced another passenger to stow their bag BEHIND them. I have been on a number of flights that have had passengers squeeze their way upstream to get their bag when deplaning. Why Why Why?
May 31, 2016, 4:46 pm
#58
Join Date: May 2016
Location: IST, LHR
Programs: TK E+, AA PLAT
Posts: 481
Or to take it a step further, if you're slow or have a lot of "attire" to put back on (so 90% of you), move past the end of the belt to the usually empty benches and seating areas. It baffles me how people don't see these empty seats and tables. Every airport should implement MKE's famous 'Recombobulation Area' signs.
May 31, 2016, 5:53 pm
#59
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 4
Global Entry
On my last 2 round trips, TSA wouldn't honor my Global Entry.
On an early morning flight, the TSA PreCheck line was not yet open and the TSA employee refused to let me skip the long line. My request was exactly what TSA told me to do in response to my one written complaint.
On other flights, Frontier Airlines recorded my Global Entry number but didn't put it on my boarding pass because Frontier didn't participate in PreCheck.
Sometimes PreCheck and Global Entry work and sometimes not.
On an early morning flight, the TSA PreCheck line was not yet open and the TSA employee refused to let me skip the long line. My request was exactly what TSA told me to do in response to my one written complaint.
On other flights, Frontier Airlines recorded my Global Entry number but didn't put it on my boarding pass because Frontier didn't participate in PreCheck.
Sometimes PreCheck and Global Entry work and sometimes not.
May 31, 2016, 6:40 pm
#60
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 26
My pet peeve is about passengers who do not take off their back packs before they enter the plane !!! Twisting and turning to find a seat number or turning to see who is calling their name inevitably causes the back pack to hit me in the side of the head !!! Carry it in front of you and this doesn't happen !