People Watching at the Airport

I am a stickler for time and as such, I prefer to be a bit early rather than being a bit late for most everything. The airport is probably one of the ones where I'm particularly keen on being on time. With security the way it is these days you never know if getting checked in and screened will take you five minutes or fifty-five minutes. As such, I try to get there ahead of time. And as is usually the case, on the days that I arrive ahead of time, I barely spend anytime at all either checking in or getting through security. Not that I'm complaining; I'm more than happy to have that chore behind me. But getting through so quickly means you have time to do other things. There isn't a whole lot to do at an airport but you can get creative.

So sitting there outside the gate, sipping on coffee and eating a light breakfast, we ended up having about 45 minutes before we would be boarding the plane. You can polish off a couple of cups of coffee in that time or you can do what I enjoy doing and that is seeing people in their natural surroundings, doing what they do, and seeing just how funny people can be when they travel. So many people fall into stereotypical categories that it can be sad though a bit humorous when you think about it. Here are just a few of the ones I have observed:

Pass Rushers: These are the people you see rushing from one end of the airport to the other. Nothing ever seems to move fast enough for them. They carry enough equipment to be an actual pass rusher like in football (American football that is) but as opposed to wearing their gear, these Pass Rushers like to either carry it or drag it along. Their list of gear often includes, a jacket thrown over one arm, a laptop bag or messenger bag, a rolling suitcase, and in the case of women Pass Rushers, a purse. Advanced Pass Rushers will be yelling into a phone about something or the other. Never make the mistake of getting in their way otherwise they will see you as grass and will mow you down.

Sunday Drivers: These are not people in their cars but people who walk like they probably drive and that's slow and steady. No matter how close to departure time it may be, these folks are the very definition of carefree. They shuffle and saunter rather than walk. They become moving islands in a stream of flowing people. Icebergs have been known to move faster. It is an unwritten rule that Sunday Drivers will impede the progress of Pass Rushers as often as possible.

Sleepoverists: Air travel isn't the most comfortable of experiences. It's no wonder that so many people turn out to be closet clausterphobics. After being strapped into a narrow seat for hours on end, it's enough to drive anyone insane. Some people deal with it by by dressing comfortably in order to relax and at least be a bit less constrained. They prefer to wear clothes almost akin to pajamas in order to maximize comfiness. They will be dressed in clothes more ideally suited to a sleepover more than cross-country travel. Advanced Sleepoverists will be seen taking the illusion to the max by carrying a stuffed animal. It's cute for a five year old girl to do it, it could even be cute for a 25 year old girl to do it. It's just downright scary when a 55 year old does it.

Techies: Techies are those that go around fixing computers; no, these Techies are the ones who enjoy showing off their electronic prowess by using their laptops and PDAs every single second that it's allowed. From the time the enter the airport to the time the flight attendants come around telling them to shut it off, these folks are constantly typing away on something that is of such importance that they will use every minute available to them. Some of them are genuine workaholics while others like to put on their air of importance and appear as if they are working on the project that will save their company. Honest Techies, though rare to find, are the ones who use their laptops in the way that makes them most useful to a traveller and that is by either playing movies or games to help pass the time.

Pack Rats: These are the people you often see climbing into the cabins of planes lugging seemingly endless numbers of bags onto the plane. Regardless of size or carry-on limitations, these folks hate to check luggage in and will bring everything onto the plane with them. That's fine for small items like a rolling overnight suitcase or a laptop case but some of these guys carry duffel bags that would put the army to shame. They have enough stuff that it often appears that they could feed and cloth the entire plane for several days, if needed. They hold people up while boarding because of the number of bags they have to find space for and they hold everyone up while leaving since they're running all over the plane looking for all their bags.

You can see almost all manner of people out and about at the airport; these are but a few. Some people may think it wrong or rude to classify people this way but hey, for me, it helps the time passby that much faster.