Airport Sighting

[dragon_wings]

If I don't have a book there are bookstores in just about every airport and they have best sellers.

[Captain Trips]

I usually brought a book to read to keep myself amused. Cos really, I'd rather sit around in the airport waiting 30-60 minutes for my flight to board, vs having to fight to get new tickets...

^^THIS^^

As should any savvy traveler in this post 9/11, heightened security era.

[PepperElf]

When I was in the Navy I'd usually arrive 1-2 hours early, depending on the airport. Out of Norfolk, I could cut it to one hour really, although from other airports it was sometimes a very long wait, especially if I was traveling over the holidays.

I usually brought a book to read to keep myself amused. Cos really, I'd rather sit around in the airport waiting 30-60 minutes for my flight to board, vs having to fight to get new tickets...

[bainsidhe]

Pre-911 I was on a small plane from Cincinnati to Omaha. Ten minutes after we were supposed to depart, the flight attendant got on the intercom and explained we were still waiting for passengers. Over 40 of them. A few minutes later, a girl scout troup arrived, clutching McDonald's bags. So we were delayed because a scout troup had to make a fast food run.

[Teskeria]

My younger daughter (14 at the time) was flying out west to see her dad for the first time in 4 years (amazing how a suicide attempt makes some ...people remember their kid). We arrived at Logan 3 hours early. My daughter had been bitching that 30 minutes would have been fine. Until we walked in to the announcement all flights were cancelled that day. And after about an hour in line, they got her on one the next day. The last seat on any plane the next day. And the people just arriving were SOL. After that she never complained about being early for things.

[Chromatix]

It might come down to whether they have checked in with hold baggage. If so, they have to dig out that bag before the plane can leave without the passenger. Much easier to just locate the passenger and get them on board.

With that said, I have once been in an airport which was so overtaxed that, despite arriving over 2 hours in advance, I was unable to get to the gate until it was boarding for the *following* flight. That was not fun at all, because I had to go back out, retrieve my luggage (along with half a dozen other people in the same fix), rebook for the first flight the following morning, wait in the airport all night, and go through the whole checkin again as soon as the desks opened. A fellow passenger had arrived 3 hours in advance and was also stuck for the same reason.

Some airlines do try harder than others. During severe winter weather, when British airports were opening their runways only fitfully, it was made very clear that Easyjet were cancelling flights and just giving refunds, while SAS were doing their utmost to get paying passengers to their destinations. So there were a lot of Easyjet passengers trying to rebook with SAS. Of course since SAS is the combined national airlines of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, cancelling flights simply due to winter weather would be something of an embarrassment for them.

So I had deliberately got an early train to the airport - a good thing too as it was badly delayed by frozen brakes - and since I was booked with SAS and was checking in on time, they bent over backwards to accommodate me. They explained that everything was delayed by hours because British airports are crap at snow clearing, they would put me on a different route to Helsinki, and they would put me in a hotel in Stockholm for the night in order to get me on the first flight to Helsinki the following morning. The delays kept piling up, so they issued meal vouchers at some point, and in the end I only got a few hours sleep, but it was in a proper bed and so infinitely better than the floor of the airport. And so, even though it took 24 hours to travel from door to door, it was okay.

[kpzra]

If you are already checked in they will page for you in case you are in the restroom or something. If you are just walking in from the parking lot for the first time, ticket or no they do not wait. I did have a plane wait a few minutes for some of my customers before, but they cleared customs on the ramp and we drove them tarmac side to the plane 100 yards away. We had talked to the aircrew ahead of time though.

[bainsidhe]

I wonder how they decide who they wait for and who they won't. I agree with the airline on this one, but I've also had airlines page over and over for one flier and let them on immediately before the flight leaves. I assume it comes down to VIP status, but I've always wondered.

[Victory Sabre]

That's why the TSA recommends you show up to the airport 2 hours early, which is exactly what I'll be doing Friday for my vacation flight.

[ThanosIsKing]

Well, after being fired after 3 days I decided to take a week away (I tend to take failure really hard) and visit family in Peoria IL. Hopped on the only plane direct from Denver. The plane taking off right before mine was going to Little Rock. When I say right before, I mean like 10 minutes before mine was due to leave. Little Rock departs at 7:30. At 7:25 a woman comes up to the counter wanting to get on the LR flight. Counter tells her she can't get on, since the doors close 10 minutes before departure. Idiot woman gets pissy, thinks she can get on because she paid and she wants to leave now, dammit! Counter says, "You should have been here early." Woman leaves in a huff, yells, "Never fly United!" I think, "You'd have the same problem with any of the other airlines you moron."

Just a tiny one but my first sighting. Don't know if that's good or bad.