flapsforty, I noticed in a book (that is probably the scourge of anyone in the airline business) called Air Babylon that ground crew can occasionally be problematic like that, although I'm sure when the company providing ground handling services does not have any connection whatsoever to the airline who you work for, there is even less loyalty to ensuring the unruly pax is dealt with before they get into that aluminium tube at the other end of the jetway.
Stacey, I've also always wondered about that... Would love to know.
S.