Thursday, September 07, 2006

More People Watching at the Airport


Yesterday's post was just a sample of the kinds of people you can observe anytime you visit the airport. There are so many varieties of people that it's almost a science unto itself. You can either consider it science, or the product of having too much time on your hands and having an over active imagination. I blame part of it on the fact that when I used to walk home in middle school and high school, I didn't have very many friends that lived in the same direction I did so I often ended up walking home on my own. Who else is there to talk to other than myself so internal monologues became a fairly common occurence. Sometimes that could be a bad thing but most of the time it allowed for my creative powers of observation to flow. As such, they help me pass the time these days; especially at the airport and some of the other types of people you may encounter.

Drifters: No, these aren't those racers, that have for some unknown reason begun to gain popularity, rather these are people who have a tendency to not walk in straight lines. It isn't as if they are moving to avoid anyone or anything either. They just have a natural tendency to weave as they walk. They become yet another obstacle to your progress through the airport and as a result, it can be difficult to get in and around where you need to go.

Gabbers: These are the people who love to talk whether it be to you or to a friend on the phone or even to themselves. They are the type of person you'll usually end up sitting next to on the plane, especially if you are exhausted and need some sleep. They aren't necessarily bad people, but you often wonder how they can say so much at a stretch. Travelling in groups they will congregate outside the gate and become progressively louder as the talk and laugh with one another. Travelling solo, these folks with try to talk with friends on the phone and if they are lucky enough to get in contact with one, they will give blow-by-blow color commentary on what all they are doing. If you see one seemingly talking to themselves, check their ears. They may not really be schizophrenic, just using a bluetooth earpiece.

Whiners: They are the ones you often see complaining to anyone and no one about the state of affairs of air travel. They make it a point to be such a nuisance that flight crews often end up rolling their eyes or getting ticked off to the point that they end up having a rotten flight. The complain about every little thing they can find, big or small. They will complain about the lack of flavored creamer even if they don't drink coffee. They will complain about the price of food even though meals are being served for free. They will complain about lack of pillows even if they spend the whole flight wide awake and whining. It's often a deep-seated need that they are fulfilling.

Gluttons: I grant you that the state of food aboard airlines has dropped in recent years to the point that even the bag of pretzels is becoming a commodity. We've reached the point now where we have to bring our own forms of sustenance or risk starving on cross-country flights. Some would look at this as being a blessing in disguise. Think of it like extreme starvation dieting with the added benefit of racking up frequent flyer miles. Bringing food on board is the only logical solution. A sandwich or something from McDonalds is fine. But Gluttons are those who bring on entire meals replete with all courses one would expect for a royal banquet. I once saw a gentleman take out three jumbo Twix bars and a large bottle of cola for a flight that had an expected duration of one hour. Food is good but remember, we're all crammed into little seats, don't occupy more than your tray table can hold.

FOFOs: No, I haven't resorted to name calling. These are the guys (and ladies) who will fight tooth and nail to be First On/First Off the plane. As they stand at the gate they will hover around the ticket stand to ensure that they beat everyone else to the head of the line. On airlines without assigned seats I can see why this would be a concern, but in most cases, that's not an issue, so why the rush? We're all eventually getting to the same place. It is the inevitable destiny of these folks to be constantly harassed to get up as their seat neighbors eventually catch up. FOFOs will never sit in the window; they couldn't make fast escapes that way.

It's easy to see all these types of characters, and so many others, just by sitting and watching the world go by at the gate of the airport. It almost makes you wonder about what stereotypical category I end up fulfilling. Hmmm. Makes you wonder doesn't it? I guess I would fall into the category for the guys that read books and listen to music while waiting for that moment when I'll be able to take the next step in my journey and eventually get home.

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1 Comments:

At 2:06 AM, Blogger Pooja Taskar said...

Hi Jay,

Nice Blog !!

I wonder as to when I will be able to write regularly... on a daily basis...

so how was ur SFO trip?

 

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