Like many other millions of Americans, I spent part of my Thanksgiving holiday at one of our nation’s busiest airports.    My journey to gate A24 in Denver International Airport was easy breezy, due in part to traveling with just a small carry-on and also to only having 12 people in front of me in the security line.  These stress-free moments gave me ample opportunity to form my Top Ten Airport Observations.  In no particular order, they are:

1. Why are there so many luggage stores IN an airport? Don’t most travelers arrive at the airport with their own suitcase?
2. An easy way to annoy passengers is to demand they check carry-ons at the gate because the overhead bins on-board are guaranteed to be over flowing… when really the overhead bins are only a third full, and there is enough room in them to actually stash a few extra stand-by passengers (if only the FAA would allow it).
3. Some people think it is okay to lie down in the middle of the floor while they wait for their flight.
4. Restaurants in a food court rarely have an exit plan for their customers. While there might be five cashiers waving people over to take their orders and collect payment, but there will be zero opportunities for those same people to exit the chaos.
5. Who can’t help but wonder why there might be four departure gates, all in one corner of a terminal, all within 100 feet of each other. Is anyone surprised that people for the Phoenix flight were in the Salt Lake City line and some Salt Lake City people were in the Tucson line?   Maybe the airport architects learned that trick from the food court architects?
6. When, out of curiosity, you politely ask a TSA agent why a laptop and a wallet must be placed in separate bins, he won’t explain the WHY. He will answer you by simply repeating the WHAT.
7. The hand driers in restrooms are ear-splitting loud. Does the perceived need for supersonic fast hand-drying cause this?
8. A friendly smile and a “Hello, how is your busy day going for you?” comment to an airline attendant or TSA agent goes a long way. Most of them will even smile back.
9. The sharpest looking traveler does not wear baggy, worn athletic clothing and tennis shoes. He wears a sleek leather jacket, crisp jeans and polished shoes and he has his personal items neatly tucked into his small and manageable carry-on.
10. The tackiest traveling tourist carries souvenirs and junk in plastic bags. Oh, wait!  Maybe these people are the target market for the above-mentioned luggage stores.

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

Related Images: