What happens between check in and boarding?
It being a Sunday there is the usual back-to-back stream of shows that were first broadcast many decades ago. This afternoon I stumbled upon Airline - the ITV docusoap type series following the goings on at EasyJet.
The episodes in these shows tend to be the same series after series - person in duty free turns up late and holds up the flight, cancellations, and of course - couple turn up too late to check in, with only hand baggage, and demand to get on the flight.
Whilst watching this elderly couple have three rounds with the check in supervisor (in this case, it wasn't actually their fault they were late) being continually told that regardless of how much or how little luggage they have, how fast they can run and how long until the flight's departure time, they weren't getting on I was left thinking - what happens in that 30-45 minutes, after check in closes, whilst we're all being strip searched (both electronically and physically), tempted to purchase hideously overpriced duty free and trying to navigate the maze that is airside? Obviously bags are loaded and so on, but what else happens that means it's not possible to whisk the Ryanair-friendly stragglers through departures to the gate?