Interruption...

I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled post to complain about air travel.  Oh my.  I traveled to D.C. on Monday for business.  In and out, one day.  I had no baggage to check.  I scheduled my flights so I had more than enough time to get where I had to be.

I guess I blocked out the air travel experience from my last trip.

People become ugly when they're taking a plane.  The one personal item, one carry on rule means nothing, you can see people boarding the plan with a suitcase (1), a purse (2), a laptop bag (3) and a backpack (4).  Now that airlines are charging for checked bags people are cramming more and more into huge bags and shoving them into the overhead compartment, in which space is now at a premium.  Again, I had no bags to check.  I just put my bag under my seat.  So while it didn't impact me, I was shocked to see people sitting in the back cramming their bags into empty compartments in the front where I was sitting.  When the people boarded up front, there was no space for their items.  But naturally, people will try to fit 10 pounds of crap into a 5 pound bag and a nightmare ensues.

And don't get me started on security.  Even if you aren't a frequent flier, there are signs about every 2 1/2 feet along the security line telling you that you cannot have liquids in your bag.  Take off your shoes and coat.  Remove your laptop from your bag.  Belts off.  Have your boarding pass and ID ready.  Why of why is it that I end up (all legs of my flights) behind people completely ill prepared for these check points.  'Oh, you need my license?' dig, dig, dig in the bag.  "I need to take my shoes off!?!?!" untie, slowly, untie.

Urgh. 

And then there's my favorite...deplaning.  Oh yes, we all have to get off the plane NOW.  Pushing, barging, flinging baggage from the overhead compartment quickly and with no regard to the heads below.  Again, I wasn't in a rush to make my connecting flights - I'd planned accordingly.  But isn't there ettiquette involved? In my head there always is.  If you're in a seat behind me, don't I get to go first?  Again - nothing in the overhead, just my bag at my feet.  No, no.  Shove me out of the way, go ahead.  It's fine. 

But my favorite part might be getting a cab.  Standing in the cab line, waiting for the attendant to get a cab (of which there are 9000), while someone walks past the cab line and jumps in the first cab.  Really?  There are more than enough cabs, there's obviously a line, you'd have to wait 30 seconds MAX.  Tool.

Why oh why do people turn into marauders when flying?  Just venting, thanks for reading.