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farci 3rd Sep 2013 12:24

Ten Most Annoying Things About Airports
 
Skyscanner's newsletter includes this article about travellers' opinions on the Ten Most Annoying Things About Airports:
10 Most Annoying Things at Airports | Skyscanner

What's on your list?

Basil 3rd Sep 2013 13:02

Other pax who:
Stand right up at the luggage carousel when their case is still nowhere to be seen.
Let their kids run around where they are at risk of being bashed by a barely controlled 32kg suitcase being dragged off the carousel by a 42kg lady (or by Bas gallantly assisting same) :}

Delays with steps/buses. You DID know we were coming several hours ago :*

onetrack 3rd Sep 2013 13:07

1. The pricing of anything you have to purchase, once inside. An airline gives you a lunch voucher for $10 when your flight is excessively delayed - and you're struggling to buy a snack with $10, let alone lunch.

2. Airport food that barely passes muster as edible food.

3. When things go wrong, and there's a serious delay - having to go back through security just to get a bite to eat. Then having to go through security again, because you went to the snack bar, and you're now almost certainly carrying liquid explosives.

4. There's never enough seats - particularly when thoughtless people have placed all their luggage on the seats - or they're lying down and stretched out over 3 seats and snoozing because their flight has been delayed for 6 hrs.

5. Finding a seat and then realising that someone has wet themselves on it.

6. Having a flight delay of one hour announced. Then after that hour, having another hour flight delay announced. Then after that hours wait, hearing about another 2 hour delay. It's called drip-feed, I believe.

7. Airport signage warning you about every infringement and penalty they can think up - but a lack of signage giving you directions on exactly where to go to find your gate, your luggage, or the way out.

8. People touting in airports - even though touting is banned (yes, I'm thinking of a number of European airports, here - and most Asian airports).

9. People smoking in airports, even though smoking is supposed to be totally banned (CAI promptly comes to mind).

10. Paying a fee for a shuttle bus between terminals, that should have been better positioned - or if this wasn't possible, then free transport provided.

ExXB 3rd Sep 2013 16:36

The ONE thing that bothers me about today's media is the propensity to publish lists. Why 10? Why not 11 or 3?

Click bait.

jackieofalltrades 4th Sep 2013 02:58

My bug bear, besides egotistical megalomaniacs in US security, is passengers rushing to block the boarding. How difficult is it to not get in the way when they call first/business class, frequent flyers, rows 44-64 etc. Have a look at your ticket. If you're sat in row 29 then you shouldn't be trying to board when the above has been only been called. Get out of the way!

crewmeal 4th Sep 2013 05:41

Horrendous car parking rip off charges at most UK regional airports. £1 for 5 mins then £5 for 5 mins.

ExXB 4th Sep 2013 07:36

Jack of all trades. Part of the problem in the UK is the expectation that all of the passengers speak perfect English and can decipher a broad Gordie or Scots accent with no problem. Swiss (LX) do a bilingual announcement at Heathrow, but I can't recall anyone else doing one.

Frequent flyers know the system (they also know they need to get on early to get their carryon stored) and they know the worse thing that will happen if they try to get on before their turn is being told to wait. Non-frequent flyers don't know the system and just move with the crowd. Why not use that monitor hanging over the desk to tell the punters how boarding is going to happen rather than surprise eveyone at boarding time.

Dan Winterland 4th Sep 2013 09:05

Heathrow. Just about everything!

Sunnyjohn 4th Sep 2013 16:00


What's on your list?
The fact that they exist at all. Give me a grass landing strip any time, like wot I used to use to get from Lands End to the Scillies and back.

TSR2 4th Sep 2013 16:01

Arrogant and obnoxious Business Class passengers who think they own airports and airlines.

peakcrew 5th Sep 2013 22:01

I actually like most of the airports I've been to, and can't think of anything uniquely awful that I don't detest anywhere else, such as ridiculous markup on food that isn't actually very good because they have a captive audience (just like motorway services).*

I don't like the whole security theatre aspect of getting in to the departure lounge, but the whole country has the same problem.

I'm embarrassed by the way immigrants are dealt with on the way into the country, but again, the politicians are making sure that is a day-to-day occurrence wherever they are.

However, UK airports are better than some others in Europe. For instance, flying from Prague the other day, I witnessed passport control officers laughing to each other about a foreigner having the the courtesy to try to say hello and thank you to them in Czech, which they found hilarious because of the "funny accent", and two police officers making sexual and racist comments about female passengers to each other. I'm not likely to hear that at a British airport.

*Note that I don't count the excellent healthy-eating outlet ("Eat", maybe?) at EDI that I found the other day. Great food, half the price of the others.

Peter47 6th Sep 2013 20:09

1. Lack of technology for differentiating safe and unsafe liquids. Its embarrassing when you haven't removed that extra bottle of water you packed on a hot day. (Come on EU!)

2. Lack of drinking fountains as you can't take safe liquids through security. (I could name certain airports.) Are they trying to blackmail people into buying bottle water at exhorbitant prices? That I really hate.

3. Claustrophobic holding areas at gates (the US may be maligned but there airports are generally have good open plan terminals

4 - 10 queues and waiting - you can probably think of at lease seven places where you have to queue on an international journey (security, boarding, immigration, baggage reclaim etc.)

That said give me an unobstructed view of the airfield from the terminal and I love airports. Indeed I'll deliberately check in early at some (not all) airports to spend extra time airside.

obgraham 6th Sep 2013 20:48

1.cdg
2.jfk
3.ewr
4.phl
5.jnb
6.lax
7.lhr
8.yyz
9.iad
10.led

Cumulogranite 8th Sep 2013 16:40

Ten Most Annoying Things About Airports
 
The way the architect thinks it is funny that you get out of your car at ground level, have to climb lots of steps to get to the check in hall, to walk down lots of steps to get onto the ramp to then climb even more steps to get on the plane? EGCC cones to mind!

edi_local 8th Sep 2013 19:19


Originally Posted by ExXB (Post 8029384)
Jack of all trades. Part of the problem in the UK is the expectation that all of the passengers speak perfect English and can decipher a broad Gordie or Scots accent with no problem. Swiss (LX) do a bilingual announcement at Heathrow, but I can't recall anyone else doing one.

Frequent flyers know the system (they also know they need to get on early to get their carryon stored) and they know the worse thing that will happen if they try to get on before their turn is being told to wait. Non-frequent flyers don't know the system and just move with the crowd. Why not use that monitor hanging over the desk to tell the punters how boarding is going to happen rather than surprise eveyone at boarding time.

Some other airlines, such as OZ, OU, LO, TP, LY and JJ will do announcements in other languages too in T1. It depends on the staff at the gate and airline requirements. I hardly ever travel through the other terminals but T5 (as well as EDI) has that automated voice which speaks several languages. That does mean that announcements by real people are limited. This means that announcements on specific boarding instructions in the gate areas are often only done in English, although to be fair most airlines do have signs now which clearly state who can use certain lanes.

I've heard that in Terminal 2 there will be no foreign languages on the announcements and there will be no bi-lingual signs. This is a big failing for LHR. Go to airports in almost every other country and you will see signs in the local language and usually English. Even Pyongyang International has more languages than LHR with English, Korean and Mandarin appearing on their handful of signs!

PAXboy 9th Sep 2013 01:10

VERY well said Cumulogranite. I had this last weekend at LGW. the stair/escalator ups/downs is tedious. I know the place was built ad hoc over the decades but it really shows in the way the different blocks are linked.

DaveReidUK 9th Sep 2013 07:58


Go to airports in almost every other country and you will see signs in the local language and usually English.
So LHR T2 would also satisfy that requirement, then ...

edi_local 9th Sep 2013 10:00


Originally Posted by DaveReidUK (Post 8038602)
So LHR T2 would also satisfy that requirement, then ...

Badly worded I admit, but I was suggesting that UK airports should at least offer more than just English on their signage.

Davef68 2nd Oct 2013 12:17


Originally Posted by PAXboy (Post 8038320)
VERY well said Cumulogranite. I had this last weekend at LGW. the stair/escalator ups/downs is tedious. I know the place was built ad hoc over the decades but it really shows in the way the different blocks are linked.

Gatwick is easily the worst in the UK for that, especially the Western (North) terminal. Stupid stairs down into baggage hall!

1. Getting searched at security

Nope, doesn't bother me. Part of the process.

2. Having to show your boarding card to buy anything

Yep, I'd love to know if there is a reason beyond marketing for this.


3. Lack of power sockets

Kudos to Stansted, which has a few charging points. Gatwick has some accessible sockets if you know where to look (at least North terminal has!)


4. Lack of seating

Yep

.

Bristol airport is a prime example - the small supply of seating is always oversubscribed, (and there’s no seating at many of the gates at all!) yet there’s a glut of restaurant seating (which of course, only restaurant customers may use).
Bristol used to be fine when the new terminal opened circa 2000, but has filled up with outlets, coffee bars and the occasional super car raffle.


5. Being told your flight was delayed ‘due to its late departure’

Lack of information is my main bugbear - being told just before boarding is due to be called that your flight is going to be delayed 2 hours or more - I'm sure the airlines didn't just find that out (OK, occasionally an aircraft may go u/s, but if the delay is due to a 2 hour delay in the incoming aircraft, then they knew about that before then!). You can often find out more from the airlines website than you get told on the airport displays.


6. Having to pay for Wi-Fi

Simple answer, I don't. If it's free, I use it, if ot, I'll read a book (or use my Mifi!)


7. Airlines who understaff their check-in desks

Check in on line and rarely travel with more than cabin luggage.

8. Not being able to check in online

See above (Except Flybe, where you can choose your seat for free if you check in at the airport!)


9. Most airport shops are useless to most people


It’s time to give travellers what they really want: Greggs and a Primark.
There was a Greggs at Glasgow airport - IIRC it closed due to an increase in rent 9and the suspicion that other food outlets were not happy with it.


10. Being charged for .......... re-sealable plastic bags

Edinburgh gives these away free.




My own pet hates:


Over priced Food Outlets


e.g. Wetherspoons burger sets you back £6 in the real world, costs £12 at the airport.


I usually eat out of Boots!!


People who Haven't Read the Cabin Baggage Restrictions


It must be 10 years since the 100ml limit/clear plastic bag was introduced, yet you still get people trying to get through with cabin baggage with 500ml bottles of contact lens cleaner, etc etc. holding up the queue at security


Crowding the Baggage Carousel


Sorry, but if my bag comes out first, I'm not going to apolgise for it hitting you if you insist on standing right next to the conveyor. Personally, I'd paint a red line 2 feet away and have lasers to deal with those who infringe before their bag arrives!


Priority Boarding/Security


Just a symptom of everything that is wrong with the Uk - the idea that you can get something/somewhere quicker just by throwing some money at it.

Laarbruch72 2nd Oct 2013 13:08


2. Having to show your boarding card to buy anything

Yep, I'd love to know if there is a reason beyond marketing for this.
It’s to check your entitlement to buy. Airport staff aren’t allowed to buy cigarettes or alcohol (though some try it), so this check makes sure you’re genuinely a passenger.


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