I like to wait in airports

[SamAdams76]

Nobody allows extra time anymore. Everybody gets all stressed out for no good reason. Especially around the Christmas season.

I like to wait at airports and delays don't bother me. In fact, I try to arrive at the airport around four hours ahead of my flight time so that I have a "built-in" delay even if everything else about my flight happens on time. In fact, I get disappointed when I am "late" for my early arrival. If for some reason, for example if my business meeting runs long, and I only show up two and a half hours before my flight, I am disappointed.

I think people would have less stress in their lives if they did not rush to and fro. For example, when I go to the shopping plaza, especially around Christmastime, I try to park way in the back of the lot - where nobody else but maybe employees park. Then I have a leisurely walk to the stores and a leisurely walk back. I am not among those jockeying for position in the busiest part of the parking lot where everybody is stressed and honking their horns and making grimaces with their face and hostile gestures with their arms and fingers.

But back to the airport. For me, it's usually a great experience and none of the waiting in lines and other hassles that bother others bother me. To me, it's fun.

If I am fortunate enough to arrive at least four hours early, I do my mobile check-in and get my baggage taken care of so that all I have with me is my carry-on which consists of all my mobile devices (iPad, Kindle, etc), the associated power adapters and battery boosters, and an old-fashioned book (just in case all electronic devices fail - which hasn't happened yet).

Then I take a nice leisurely walk around the terminal area, getting the lay of the land. Finding out where the best food places are and scoping out where the pubs and coffee shops are. If it's a large airport, I'll tour all the terminals within reason, always keeping track of where I am in relation to the gate and terminal I need to ultimately get back to in order to catch my flight.

As I'm walking around, I like to check out the other people. I'm a people-watcher. Oftentimes I see others stressing out and looking anxious. I feel bad for them as it should not be that way.

If it's in the morning, I hit a coffee shop, connect to Wi-Fi and surf the web while I sip it. Or I might read a book on my Kindle. If it's in the afternoon or evening, I'm sitting at the bar at one of the pubs, nursing a draft beer or two while doing the same. All so leisurely as I'm in no rush. I do try not drink too much beer and coffee because once on the plane, I do not want to have to get up to use the lavatory. I have a pretty strong bladder though so unless it's a very long flight, I'm usually good. But I always make sure that I do hit the terminal restroom before boarding the plane whether I feel I need to go or not.

In addition to some good exercise through walking, I get a lot of reading and web surfing done at the airport. I'm in no rush at all. When I do need to pass through TSA security to get to my gate area, it doesn't bother me how long the line is. I get immersed in my mobile media and sometimes the people in back of me have to prod me to move forward. I find the TSA people very friendly and have never had a bad experience. I take off my shoes and belt and empty my pockets. I put all my electronic gadgets in the little plastic bin with keys, wallet, comb and whatever loose change I have. It's fun to pick that stuff up on the other side and put it all back in my pockets and carry-on bag.

If my flight does get delayed, I'm not worried. I have so much to read on my Kindle and if I'm somehow not able to keep my mobile devices charged, I have a regular book to pull out and read. When people around me moan, groan and sigh when the delays are announced, I'm secretly happy about it because now I have more private time to get some good reading done.

Well that's about it. I just wanted everybody to know that I like to wait at airports and that if you come to the airport prepared, you will like to wait at airports too and your Christmas will be merrier without all the stress and unnecessary aggravation.

[Paladin2]

CNN has a special, dedicated airport channel.

[mountn man]

I wouldn’t mind a seven hour layover if I was in Frankfurt, flying lufthansa, in first class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUCZS4cBfN4

[mewzilla]

Liberty? Is that the one downwind from Fresh Kills...?

[Cementjungle]

I hate waiting, especially since there’s no longer any place to smoke. It used to be that there were lounges, but places like LAX have closed their outdoor smoking lounges because anti-smokers can’t stand the idea of someone smoking even if its outdoors.

[riri]

I am always cold. And when I am tired I feel ten degrees colder than normal even.

Whenever I have layovers or travel it seems I am really tired. Plus they keep airports at sub zero temperatures. So I associate waiting in airports with being tired and cold (two things I hate).

[cld51860]

Yep, this sounds like my M.O., to a tee.

[niteowl77]

Niteowl77 deliberately opts for comfortably long interludes between flights. She always has a book (and now her "smartphone") so she is never at a total loss. She has made something of a game out of using up part of her spare time by sampling the "local restaurants" in the airports, and a few of them have really surprised her (in a good way).

Niteowl77

[Ray76]

bdl?

[Calvin Locke]

When I was doing more business travel, I'd get there early, and bring my accumulating stash of business mags along, and ditch them at the airport.

Power-reading in one session allowed me to notice the same dang story in across multiple pubs, at the time - Forbes, Fortune, BusinessWeek, and The Economist. Mostly BW and TE had a lot more of the same "minor" stories than Forbes/Fortune.

And I'd have a paperback or two for the trip.

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

It's

alaays

a pleasure to read something that is well-constructed, logical, grammatically correct and punctuated properly. Rare these days.

Case in point

[dinodino]

This is DOH and I’m not in FC...

[SamAdams76]

PHL and EWR (Newark) are my least favorite airports only because my luggage is most likely to get lost when connecting through them. I don't think I've ever lost my luggage in any other airports. I think unionized baggage handlers are the main culprit as they never seem to be in much of a hurry offloading and loading planes, especially at those airports. They don't seem to care so much if luggage fails to make a connecting flight as the unions probably don't hold them accountable.

Overall, passenger amenities at airports have improved over the years, despite what the critics say. When I first started flying in the 1970s, the airport terminal food was awful and it was more comfortable to sit on the floor than what passed for terminal seating. The food choices have really gone upscale (though more expensive) and you can find good microbrew pubs in just about every major airport.

Donald Trump is correct though. Our airport infrastructure is decaying and they are rather sad when compared to some of the modern European and Asian airports.

[lee martell]

I’ve done a lot of waiting at both Airports and Veterans Hospital Waiting Rooms. I wish both places had a room where you could use a Stationary Bike or a Weight Machine for a few minutes. That would help me to stay awake and help me blood pressure too. No need for free weights in such a circumstance.
Too easy for accidents to occur.
They could have a Bounce House for the children who weigh UNDER 80lbs.

[rlmorel]

I get to the airport hours ahead, because the stress of thinking I am going to miss the flight due to traffic/unexpected/whatever far, FAR outweighs the benefit of doodling around at home or something just waiting.

I have gotten to the point the TSA stuff just pisses me off, no matter how hard I try not to be pissed off by it.

Before I get in line, I make sure I don’t have anything that will slow up the line, I have everything in the right place.

But no matter what, I get pulled aside, patted down, run over with the wand, hands swabbed, and bags rummaged through.

It makes me grit my teeth.

But...my employer has given me a wireless hot-spot that has an unlimited data plan with instructions specifically to use it for anything I want...apparently if it isn’t used enough in a time frame, the carrier disables it. So I am free to surf the Internet, whatever.

And I do enjoy people watching in airports.

[Grampa Dave]

I look at the fools who arrive at the last minute and are rude, panicked and in a frenzy.

Usually they are either immature chronologically aka snowflakes or mentally ill liberals.

[Baynative]

I hate lines so much I won't even go to a concert anymore. If there's a wait at a restaurant, I'm gone.

...and don't get me started about the guy that is going straight on a four lane road but sits through a red light in the right lane blocking people who could be turning and going on their way.

[righttackle44]

Long airport waits, however, have a potential to get one into trouble.

Years ago, I landed at SeaTac--the Seattle-Tacoma airport--about 2 a.m. I had arrived on a small multi-stop, puddle-jumper originating from someplace I don't even remember anymore. I had been on a speaking tour, and I was exhausted, unable to really sleep.

I don't know about now, but in those days and if my directions were and are correct, there used to be a waiting area just off the ticketing area. If you walked in the front door, that area was to your right on the north side of the ticketing area.

My flight landed about two-hours after the last flight to Denver left for the evening. The next Denver-bound flight would leave at 6 a.m. So I went to the waiting area. I was the only person there. I sat, put down my briefcase, and covered myself with my overcoat.

Of course, being exhausted, I couldn't sleep. I sat there, watching people coming in and going out the door. Then one guy, straight from central casting in the era of Bogart-Cagney movies, wearing a old-fashioned raincoat and fedora, walked in. He looked around briefly, and headed straight for me.

He smiled and sat down, making some crack about the weather or football or something. I mumbled some likely-inane responses and put my head back and closed my eyes. The guy kept talking. I responded occasionally because I didn't want to old boy to think I was asleep in case he wanted to steal my stuff.

After talking about odds and ends, he stopped and said something like, "You know, I certainly could use someone who travels a lot." He asked me about my travels--which, in those days, were many and extensive.

Then he said, "My guys make a lot of money. Cash on the barrel-head" (or some other 1940s movie phrase).

That did it. I uncovered, muttered something about nice-to-meetcha and left. To this days, I am convinced the guy was looking for drug mules. Believe it, Don't doubt it.

[NowApproachingMidnight]

Check out tv-b-gone. You can turn off the airport tvs.

[fision]

I bet you like traffic lights too!

[mountn man]

Never been there.

I know Qatar Air is supposed to be nice to fly, but know nothing about the airport.

I know Qatar is terrible for workers.