I have often said I believe people should be required to take a test before flying. There are some simple rules that if followed, would increase traveling efficiencies. One of those rules is boarding and de-boarding a plane. It is amazing to see people struggle with something so simple but I see it time and time again. I ate lunch with a colleague last week. Let’s refer to him as the NUT. NUT is a pretty loyal reader to this blog and asked why I haven’t posted for a while. I did not have a good reason. NUT was telling me about a recent flight he had. He was sitting in row 17. During the de-boarding process, NUT became annoyed. He said the people in row 16 sat in their seats. When it came time for them to de-board, it was then they decided to stand up and get their things out of the over head bin. This wouldn’t have been an issue had they gotten their things quickly. Instead, it took them several minutes to collect their belongings. NUT’s complaint was they had 15 rows of people to stand up and begin collecting their things. It wasn’t until the last minute that they decide to get up and collect their belongings and delay the de-boarding process for the rest of the passengers.
I have experienced NUT’s frustration with this process myself. The de-boarding process can feel like an eternity when you are at the back of the plane, especially if you have a tight connection. Even without a tight connection, I want to get off the plane as quickly as possible. And waiting on people who make a simple process complicated is annoying.
I realize a portion of the travelers on the plane who are on vacation and they are in no hurry. I don’t blame them. I am usually not in a hurry when I travel either. Nonetheless, being in a cramped space with a group of complete strangers is not where I look to spend my free time so I do try to move as quickly as possible.Be respectful of your fellow passengers and try to be efficient when boarding and de-boarding the plane. We are all going or coming from somewhere and we will all get to our destinations eventually. Being efficient can and should be a part of the process.
