But all the algorithms and beeps in the world can’t fix a universal truth of flying – people are not robots and quite often don’t act rationally when in airports. They also don’t factor in the tendency of some of us to miss boarding calls because we’re distracted by our smartphones or are wearing noise-cancelling headphones to drown out obnoxious travellers.
For a long time, the aviation industry’s focus on the bottom line has felt like it’s come at a cost for the user experience.
On some recent train journeys across Italy, the fuss-free boarding experience was a revelation. No one hassled me about the weight of my hand luggage. I sunk into a comfy seat with plenty of legroom and felt completely zen.
Given the rigmarole of getting air side, I don’t blame some passengers for being in a rush to get on the plane and get it over with. Many people are anxious about flying, desperate to get to their seats, pop their pills and take a nap.
Personally, I’d happily let someone skip ahead of me so that they can do their breathing exercises than watch them have a panic attack at 30,000 feet because they had to board last.
Brussels airport has a cool answer to jittery fliers that doesn’t involve shameful beeps or panic attacks – some gates now have bicycle-powered phone recharge stations for passengers to burn off their nervous energy.
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Poor airport design also has a part to play in the rise of gate lice. At many gates, there’s not enough seating, meaning people mill about and are eager to park themselves the minute the opportunity arises. Loudspeaker announcements can also be mumbling and impossible to hear, so it’s easy to rock up at the wrong moment.
In reality, the main contributor for people trying their luck early is overhead bin space. Since airlines started charging people for checked-in suitcases in the 2010s, the rise of carry-on luggage-only travellers who unashamedly admit to trying to board early and nab the prime real estate has come with its own headaches.
My most well-travelled friend Kate, who had 57 international flights in 2023 alone, noted that most cabin crew turn a blind eye to passengers putting small bags overhead rather than under the seat in front. Tackling that could easily free up space and reduce queue-jumping.
If we’re going to shame anyone, it should be the muppets who deliberately cut it fine, getting to the airport late, happily cruising to the gate on a buggy, and having no qualms walking onto a plane with unimpressed passengers who have been forced to wait and endure half a dozen head counts from three different cabin crew members, all because they are addicted to the adrenaline rush race to the gate.
Lisa Martin is an Australian journalist living in Copenhagen.
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