I wonder how many times the people pushers use the tight connection ruse just to disembark quicker, even though they have no connecting flight whatsoever.

It's the airline version of cops who turn on their lights to go through red traffic lights with nowhere to go but the donut shop...

Hey, getting to the donut shop before the crullers run out can be very important.

David

Over ten years ago I was a passenger on an American Eagle E145 from a south Texas border town with a connection at DFW. Texas had been hit with a winter storm that stretched much farther south than usual and which had pushed freezing temperatures all the way down to the Mexican boarder. Our airplane had frost but the airport had no deicing capability so the airplane was parked in the sun and we waited for the frost to melt. That put is well behind schedule.

When we arrived at DFW, a young lady was pusher her way up the aisle of the E145. When other passengers complained, she said, 'I have a connection!'. Several people replied at once, 'So does everyone else!'.

I didn't expect to make my connection but, when I arrived at the departure gate, the agent was waiting for me. AA exceeded my expectations that day.

I find it amusing how many people use the "I have a connection!" line to push forward when the flight has arrived 20 minutes early. I will admit I think part of this is driven by some airlines putting the boarding start time in larger font than the departure time on the boarding pass, creating a bit of a "panic" but I find this to be an issue even on airlines that don't do this. The only exception might be if someone was on an earlier flight that was canceled and were rebooked and now maybe the early arrival will allow them to make a connection that they may not have made with an arrival right on time but I can't imagine this applies in very many cases.

I’ll assume it’s to get their carryon bag into an overhead spot. There’s never enough space for all the carryon bags. It’s even a hassle in f because some F flyers have a lot of carryon stuff.

OP - for "the second time in 200+ flights..."

I didn't realize the problem was THAT serious.