Or are there just more of them?
I recently returned from a trip to the West coast. Good trip, good business calls and a fantastic visit with one of my best friends and his incredibly talented son.
Landed at Dulles late in the evening and caught the people mover to the main terminal.
Now, the airplane was pretty full, so it took awhile to off load. The guy behind me was coming off of a 26 hour trip and was griping a little bit about how long it was taking to off load. He was just quietly venting, no biggie. That's just being human.
The people mover was also crowded, but everyone staked out their space and we just waited to arrive at the main terminal.
Just before we arrived at the main terminal a guy behind me (not the same guy from the airplane) makes a rather odd move. He turns his body perpendicular to mine, with his back to my right shoulder. He then inches forward until his left shoulder is in front of my right shoulder, and then turns a little bit so that now his left shoulder is in FRONT of my right shoulder.
The guy is trying to cut in front of me.
Really?
I don't think so.
Was he trying to catch a connecting flight? We landed 40 minutes EARLY! What does that move buy him? 1/2 second? One whole second?
There are a bunch of people in front of us and they slowly depart the people mover until finally it's time for me and my symbiotic friend to walk off the people mover. I lead with my right foot and shoulder, walking straight ahead and coincidentally put the guy right into a vertical pole. It's just a matter of mass and momentum. We may have had the same momentum at the same time, but I've picked up some mass over the years. Physics rules. He says "Oof!" as he saves a chipped tooth with his hand in front of his face as he does a face plant into the pole. I am not kidding.
I say "Excuse me" because to not say that would be ... impolite.
The guy gets behind me, like he was for most of the short trip to the main terminal and we all politely walk off the people mover. Nothing more is said between the two of us.
ARE people getting more impolite, or are there just more of them?
I don't know.
Here is what I do know: I'm suffering fools less now than I did before, and before, I suffered fools poorly.
There something about the airport that somehow exposes people real skins and personalities. With experience working at Dulles Airport for 3 years I've seen worst on people - passengers and employees. Passengers just act dumb and employees just ... OMG, its another group of annoying and impolite people. Their can be the creme de la creme of the worst.
ReplyDeleteJust watch the show Airline (UK or American) on Biography channel, I have witnessed some of the incidents just like on the show with my own eyes. It is amazing!
Its good to keep your cool in the airport, the guy at the people mover thinking he can steal another half seconds ... whatever his agenda is, who knows, maybe he really need to get to the bathroom.... hmmmm..... ?!!!?!?!?