Airline Travel, It’s a Mystery to Me
We’ve been flying a lot these days and the more we fly, the more we notice little quirks about airline travel that make no sense to us. All the rules and regulations are a mystery. Why do airlines do what they do and why do people seem to lose all common sense when flying. Each airline and airport all have different rules and different ways to operate and we grow frustrated with these inconsistencies.
Pet Peeves about Airline Travel
It’s exhausting trying to keep up to the changes that happen at each visit. Often times we sit in our seats wondering what is the point to everything that is going on so we thought we’d share some of our observations and questions we’ve compiled about airline travel over the past 12 months.
Airline Travel Quirks
1. Window Shades – Have you ever really wondered why we have to have our shades up for take off and landings? They say, for your safety put your shades up. Why is that? I’d really like to know. I’ve been on many flights where they don’t seem to care if I have my shade up or down and then I’ve been on other’s where they go through the cabin and make sure everyone has ultra bright sun blasting into their faces. So if some airlines don’t care why do others? It’s a mystery to me.
Plus don’t you just hate those people who keep their shade up the entire flight? I’m trying to sleep or watch a movie or read or work and I can’t do anything because the guy across the aisle has his window open and the sun is shining directly into my face. The light blinds me and it’s not a good feeling.
Sun shines through the shade early in the morning
2. Toilets – What on earth do people do in the bathroom of a plane for so long? That is a mystery I cannot solve. I can’t figure out why anyone would want to spend more time than they have to in an airplane toilet, but people seem to take a mini vacation from the flight in the loo. I remember waiting outside one bathroom for so long I thought the person died in there. When she came out, she had a book in her hand. Did she seriously give herself a toilet break and read her book while enjoying the moment?
3. Metal Cutlery – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, why does economy class get stuck with plastic cutlery? It’s terrible for the environment. Plastic is ruining the world but airlines continue to make us eat with disposable forks. Is it really for security reasons? I don’t think so considering business class gets a solid set of stainless steel knives and forks. So are the airlines saying that only people who fly budget are a security threat? It’s absurd. We used to be able to eat with proper cutlery in economy class, so why are we eating with plastic now? It’s a mystery and I’d love to learn the answer.
metal cutlery in Business Class
4. Security – I have no problem with people trying to keep me safe in the air. Security is a good thing to have when you are putting a bunch of people together in a tiny tin box up in the sky. However, I would appreciate there being some sort of consistency to the rules. Some flights have you take your shoes off, others don’t. Some countries don’t care if you take your computer out of your bag while others are adamant that it be taken out of your bag and put in a separate bin all alone with nothing else touching it. We’ve had some airlines allow us to bring on our water through security while others won’t even let you take on the bottle that you bought at the gift shop right beside the boarding gate. And what is with the second security check when we’re boarding anyway? Why are people stopping me at the gate to inspect my bags a second time after I just went through a security check. It’s always at these inspections that I lose my precious water.
5. In Transit – Since we’re talking about security, we thought we would talk about security in transit. Here’s a scenario… We’ve just come off a flight and have entered one secure area from another. We went through all the security checks at the previous airport we just left, but now we have to do it all again. Even though we just left the plane, haven’t left secure area and are just trying to get to our next flight. If we didn’t finish our $5 water that we bought before boarding our previous flight, we get it taken away. “But I just bought this before boarding my plane and haven’t been anywhere since flying” I protest….”no liquids on board ma’am” is all I get in reply.
If you checked bags, (especially in Canada and America) you will have to pick them up and check them again. Apparently other airports security systems aren’t up to par for North America. Even though these bags went through security check points at our point of embarkation, they have to go through all the screening once again. It’s a mystery as to why.
Lugging luggage through airport while in transit
6. TV Screens - Why do some airlines have the entertainment system turned on as soon as you board the plane while others don’t put them on until you are in the air? Plus, why do the same airlines let you use your entertainment system throughout the landing and you can keep watching your movies until you arrive at the gate, while others turn off the system as your start your descent? Why not keep the movies going all the time and keep the passengers happy?
6. Ear Buds VS Headphones - Why are you allowed to wear headphones during the flight but you have to take them off for take off and landing. But you are allowed to wear earbuds anytime during the flight? It really doesn’t make any sense to me, maybe someone can explain.
All Entertainment Systems don’t work the same
8. Crowding the Aisles – I can never understand why people feel the need to pop out of their seats on landing and grab their overhead luggage as soon as the seat belt sign goes off. Everyone crowds in the centre aisle waiting impatiently for the doors to open thinking that if they get up faster they’ll be off sooner. It never changes. It doesn’t matter how quickly you stand; people leave the plane in the same manner flight after flight, one row at a time.
Speaking of people crowding, what about when they call rows to board. The flight attendant will call rows 20-25 and the entire room stands up. People don’t care whether they are row 1 or 50; they’re going to try to get on that plane as soon as they can only to be turned back once they reach the gate and slowing the boarding down in the process.
Empty Aisles make for happy travel
8. Full Cans of Coke - Why do flight attendants on some flights give you an entire can of coke or tomato or apple juice, but on other flights you get a tiny cup filled only half full. It drives me crazy. I can’t bring any liquid on the flight with me, but on most flights getting a proper drink of anything is impossible. The key to having a healthy flight is to stay hydrated and yet the airlines make it difficult to do so!
10. Flight attendants talking too much – Sometimes I wonder if the flight attendants are so bored that they feel the need to make endless announcements about mundane matters. I’m in the middle of a good movie or better yet, a sound nap and the PA system suddenly pierces through the flight to tell us something useless. Even worse, we have to sit through it all again as they say it again in French or Spanish or whatever second language is on board for the day. Some flights are worse than others, but I wish that they could all just get to the point and quickly say what they need to say so that I can get on with my rest.
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This is hysterical, and I’ve wondered many of the same things myself!
Some of these are so strange! I have to admit to being an annoying shutter opener though, I get travel sick and find it much better to be able to see out of the window to see the horizon.
I’m assuming you’re asking out of genuine curiosity… Window shades: up for critical phases of flight so outside conditions can be assessed in the case of an evacuation. International security: every country has it’s own government… So they have their own laws… Hence varying security procedures (that couldn’t have been that hard to figure out on your own). Re-checking bags: as previously stated, other countries don’t screen to US standards, so you re-check so your bag can be re-screened. Full cans of Coke: most people don’t want full cans, I know I don’t. Just ask and they’ll give you the can though… Just an FYI though; drinking coke will not hydrate you. As far as there being too many announcements: Amen.
I don’t know if this is the answer or not but maybe with the cutlery they are trying to save weight? I know it can’t be that much extra weight but that just what I though of.
I am soooo with you on that post!
Especially the security stuff of airlines is only a huge laughter! A security guy told me that it’s forbidden to bring liquids on the plane in bigger amounts, as it could be KO gas and a single bottle of KO gas could kill everyone on the plane, because of the air circulation in the plane.
OK… So what if I refill 5 bottles of KO gas into my hairspray, my deodarant, my parfum etc (which I’m allowed to bring on board)…. ??? DAMN!!!
Do those airlines, security and politicians really think that we are all sooo dumb??? It’s politics all over and to keep the people scared of terror, if you ask me. Very sad!
Good post! Love it!
Great post with well-sorted considerations
. I have never realized why I am always so pissed of the air-way travel. Reading the post, I have started ‘wording’ my irritation with yours.
The only thing I realize always – at the end of a 2 hour flight, I find myself being lost of 8-14 hours in total: transfer, queue, airport check-in, queue, security procedures, 2 hour waiting, queue, boarding, flight, queue, security, queue, luggage, transfer.
Yes, you are so right. It doesn’t matter how short the flight is, it is still always a day long ordeal. I’m always exhausted after any flight that I take.
hahaha, I totally hear you, some rules don’t make sense to me either!
btw, Turkish airlines gives metal cutlery for economy class as well.. it’s such a relief and the knife actually works! The toilet thing is puzzling for sure.. some are big enough that I can stretch (without getting weird looks from anyone) but most are very tiny. 
That’s so good to hear that Turkish Airlines still gives metal cutlery. I wish that they all would, like you said, it’s nice to have a knife that works. Plus, I hate having to peel off all that plastic that the cutlery comes in.
Turkish Airlines also gives out a nice little amenity tin in economy with socks, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a sleep mask and I think ear plugs as well as slippers to go with your pillow and blanket. We were greeted while boarding by that night’s chef as well as flight attendants and given a menu so we could pre-select what we wanted for dinner. Such a nice touch for a relatively budget airline. I believe beer and wine were also included for no charge but since I was dealing with a cold and didn’t want to dehydrate myself further I passed on those.
Wow! I’m gonna fly Turkish Airlines every chance I get!
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Air travel indeed is one of the world’s great mysteries. A favorite of mine is when they call rows 20 through 25, then afterwards rows 25 and up which is often about 70% of the plane itself. Checking in 3 hours prior to take off is another frustration. Having flown abundant times, I’ve lost count of the wasted hours spent looking around Duty Free.
Oh yes, that’s a good one. There never seems to be any rhyme or reason to the rows that they call. you would think that they would always call the back of the plane first and then work their way forward. But just recently, we boarded a plane where they called the front rows first, so everyone else coming on the plane had to go past them while they were still putting up their bags and standing in the aisles.
Don’t get me started
We were recently on 2 Delta flights – TWELVE hours each – and the audio/visual system was broken on both.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the fact that the entertainment systems never work. We seem to always be stuck in the seat that’s a dud. We’ve started to load movies on our iPads now so that we can entertain ourselves and not rely on their systems. We have games too:)
Here is one I recently ran into in Ecuador and I’m still completely baffled. We took off from Quito, heading to the Galapagos, but when we stopped to get more passengers in Guayaquil, the flight attendants insisted that we unbuckle our seat belts. They even woke one member of our group up to have him remove his. Really??? That makes no sense at all.
I’ve been told by someone at WestJet that the headphones vs earbuds thing was because in an emergency the earbuds will pop right out of your ears if you bolt from the seat while headphones might stay on and make it hard for you to hear instructions or something like that. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either.
As for the standing, I’m guilty of that but my reason isn’t that I think I’ll get off faster, it’s that I’m often tired of sitting by that point and just want to stand to stretch my legs.
The in transit security checks drive me nuts too. It always annoys me that at Pearson in Toronto after you go through customs/immigration and put your suitcase back on the belt they spit you back out into the common population so that you have to go through security again. Frustrating and a waste of time.
Thanks Melissa. I agree, that is what I figured about the headphones, but I wonder if it really makes that much difference in an emergency…then again, every little bit counts. I can understand the standing, I always try to sit and relax, but in the end I always am forced to stand up as everyone tries to squish by us and we feel crowded in our seats anyway. And yes! I hate being put back out into the common area after already going through security in another country. I wish they had the same rules across the board.
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Air Travel is the great mysteries. It gives some idea about air travel guidance. Security is a good thing for putting a bunch of people together in a tiny tin box up in the sky.
Air Travel is the main part of our life. Here some useful guidance and following rules are there really good one
Great post…I have to agree some of these are a pain! The bathrooms, ugh! @debndave I don’t get teh calling of rows either haha.
I know eh. It changes all the time, that’s what irks me.