Airports operate on a thin social contract: the majority of individuals are fatigued, distracted and carrying with them more than they can conveniently carry. One decision that is made slowly, one bag left in the wrong place can spread out to all corners, and can be transformed into a bottleneck.
In this environment etiquette is not about being genteel but rather being predictable. The entire terminal becomes calm when travelers facilitate the movements of strangers, make them easier to move, to screen, to sit and to board.
1. Arriving with an ID and boarding pass that don’t match
A checkpoint line is not the one where a name mismatch can be found. Even when the identification shown is not the same as the boarding pass, the quick scan and go is interrupted and the slowdowns fall on all the people behind that passenger. The fix usually involves leaving the queue, re-examination of paperwork or going back to a check-in desk of an airline a time-consuming reset in each instance. The most basic form of courtesy occurs prior to leaving the house, which is to ensure the payment of tickets are paid to the mean, including the middle names (when applicable). The TSA has clearly instructed the travelers to use your full name during booking since this is what will be printed on your ID.
2. Treating the security line like dead time
Most of the work is done by the fastest travelers as they wait: emptying pockets, consolidating loose things, making decisions of what requires a bin. Slowest passengers get to the front still in the metal-heavy clothing, still with keys in hand, and still bargaining with a wallet, a phone, and a boarding pass simultaneously. Such reluctance obliges officers to break the flow and predetermines re-screening that might have been prevented.
TSA instructions are humble yet efficient: unload all that is in your pockets when standing in line and leave it safely packed. It helps have cleaner bins, makes people move, and minimizes the risk of having to lose small necessities of a person falling on the belt.
3. Putting small valuables directly on the X-ray belt (or leaving a phone in a bin)
Objects that are loose are simple to misplace in the literal meaning of the word. Earbuds, keys, and cards can fall under conveyor rollers and when a traveler panics, he or she shares the delay as the belt halts and the officers go on a troubleshooting mission. Phones pose another issue: they are sent through the same bins as just carried shoes of a person, but directly to the face of a traveler in a rush right after screening. TSA agents recommend that passengers should put small items in a bowl, bin or perhaps, in your carry-on bag and have a phone in a bag rather than in a shared bin.
4. Turning the gate charging area into a personal living room
Charging stations are few in design, and overcrowded in fact. The etiquette error is not that they require power; it is taking up space in a manner that deters others, such as sitting on the bags of people who are passing by, standing over those sitting in the seat or occupying an occupied outlet seat without paying anything. Even moderate clutter causes that part of the gate to be tense and tension propels easily when delays occur. Simple etiquette can save the day: stuff away bags, make sure outlets are accessible without making a person lean over someone to get to one, and do not nest around the single available plug. Stated differently, charge space should be treated like common infrastructure rather than assigned seating.
5. Parking in the jetway or passing without courtesy
The jetway appears to be a hallway, yet acts as a narrow chute: there is hardly space to make a complete stop, and the individual following does not flow around an abrupt stop. The archetype derailment occurs when an individual arrives at the ramp, calls on a phone, rearranges bags, or repositioned a backpack within the lane. All those at the back find themselves in an embarrassing position of standstill and the pace of boarding at the aircraft door becomes jagged. Passengers talking about jetway etiquette often revert to a single rule that works: do not stop, stay to the right where possible and do not hog the space. As one FlyerTalk member expressed, when walking slowly always stay on the right, please.
6. Blocking aisles while searching for a seat or reorganizing a carry-on
The runway is large enough to allow the terminal to drift, but aircraft cabin is not. When one of the travelers is taking time to find a row, repackage a tote, or dig something out of a tightly packed carry-on, the domino effect is the result: the boarding process is held back, tempers are rising, the overhead bin is growing more and more disorderly as other passengers attempt to find places to stash their belongings. The more subtle method is silent preparation. Boardings and seats assignments are to be prepared prior to getting on the plane and items that might be required during boarding should be kept in a pocket that can be easily accessed as opposed to being mixed with other items in a suitcase which need to be unpacked all along the aisle.
7. Letting group travel logistics spill into public space
Infrastructure does not cause all the delay in the airports. Others are predetermined by a group of passengers negotiating the arrangements in the most inconvenient locations: on the top of an escalator, at the entrance of a passing walk, at the doorway of a restroom corridor, or at the slit of the throats in front of the podiums of the gates. By stopping to discuss the route, pausing a group causes those around it to change lanes suddenly an invisible stressor that gives the entire concourse the effect of being even narrower. The travel professionals have a regular practice of setting expectations early to prevent the travel-day friction particularly regarding who is doing what and when. A simple courtesy is to resolve to meet points and decision-makers in advance, so that any actual discussion can be conducted out of the way, not in the line of those seeking to make an introduction.
The art of airport etiquette is not perfection; it is all about reducing the element of surprise. Whenever travelers maintain running lines, leave common areas accessible and get out of the way before halting, the day is simplified to strangers who will never see each other again. Within an environment constructed on close relationships and even closer schedules, the minor details, such as how someone packs a phone, where someone takes a break, whether someone blocks an outlet, etc, can be the difference between a relaxing terminal and a mass bad mood.
