What Should Be The Lining Up Etiquette At An Airport ?

Ljinkhaos on 05/02/2016 - 11:06
Last edited 05/02/2016 - 22:41 by 1 other user

This had struck me this morning while I sent my parents off to the airport this morning: mother lined up to check in, me and dad took some of our luggage (i.e the boxes and bags) to be wrapped up. Got back to the line with 4-5 more people to go and got told off by the person behind my mother that "that's not how it works"? Been travelling for quite some time and to be honest, we do this all the time since PROTECTABAG had started service at the airports.

Is this wrong? Should all travelling members stay in line at all times? What should be the lining up etiquette at the airports?

Travel

Comments

  • plmko on 05/02/2016 - 11:14
    +52

    Nothing wrong, because you obviously want to check-in all at the same time. In fact lining up separately would hold people up longer since you will be occupying one desk per person rather than 3-4 people in one go.

      • ThadtheChad on 07/02/2016 - 11:03
        +48

        Holy mother of incoherence! Did you get your coffee, pal?

        • centrelink on 07/02/2016 - 23:14

          He is speaking old english lol

      • ankor on 07/02/2016 - 19:51
        +7

        Did anyone else make sense of this? Someone tell me please..

        • Dr Techno on 07/02/2016 - 23:51
          +1

          For some reason after reading all that, a "Holy Molly batman" is now stuck in my head.
          It definitely must be related to Batman ?

      • wyrmy on 07/02/2016 - 23:29
        +17

        Interpretation:
        "It was typical tropical hot weather.
        I was in the Philippines outback, lined up in a messy airport. There were a mix of chinese and local people with maybe 30 people in front and 100 behind. I thought I would be checked-in 30 minutes with my flight leaving in 2 hours.
        3 hours later I was still in line but luckily the flight was late too. In this time we had staff who worked there at different levels systematically put other people in front of us. Maybe there was "Nothing wrong" doing this in Asians culture?
        Somewhere along the line (maybe in 200 years) civilisation will continue to improve and we will develop more cities, police, law, culture etc and things will improve but sadly it looks like we are going backwards thanks to bad manners which seem to be popular behaviour unfortunately."

        • congo on 08/02/2016 - 00:33
          +1

          Lol. Nice one.

        • sv123 on 08/02/2016 - 08:33
          -1

          I understood this too, people above are a bit slow.

        • MadMaxBargainRoad on 08/02/2016 - 13:39

          Spot on lol.

        • ThadtheChad on 08/02/2016 - 17:52
          +2

          @sv123:

          Apologies. I understood what pal said. It took me a while.

          Perhaps I have a broken gobbledegook parser.

        • moo on 10/02/2016 - 19:56
          +2

          Well done. Pal is probably still suffering from PALS (Post Airport Lineup Syndrome) after his experience. Geddit? ☺

          @pal

    • captobvious on 09/02/2016 - 00:16
      +3

      Try lining up at immigration in china. Omfg.

  • Davo1111 on 05/02/2016 - 11:32
    +14

    I think it's pretty mean to introduce new people into the line. Although in the end it doesn't make much of a difference.

  • oscargamer on 05/02/2016 - 11:38
    -2

    that is how it works

    first in best dressed

  • Peck on 05/02/2016 - 12:03
    +29

    After waiting in line for 30 minutes I was 2nd in line for check in Air Asia at DMK (Bangkok) when about 30 Chinese ( with trolleys stacked high with boxes) tried to join with their associate who was by then at the front of the long queue. No prizes for guessing how I reacted. And these queues are "All Flights" check ins, and so it does make a big difference.

    • airzone on 05/02/2016 - 12:35
      +6

      Happened to me - with the tour operator running around like she owned the place. The check-in dude gave me an upgrade.

    • dogboy on 05/02/2016 - 12:51
      +127

      Chinese people are now regarded as the worst international travelers. They just seem to have no awareness of what is going on around them and don't seem to care about other people. I guess that what happens culturally when you live in a country of 1.5 billion.

      • shadowarrior on 05/02/2016 - 14:18
        +72

        I have also noticed, they have no regard for others. A group/family bumped their trolley straight on my ankle while I was standing and filling up the immigration form. Hurt like hell…when I looked up…this Chinese lady gave me a look as if I am in the wrong for standing in front of a fill-up bay counter. No apologies nothing. WTF??? I kicked the suitcase off their trolley and limped off to another corner while they kept shouting at me in their language. :|

        • neonlight on 06/02/2016 - 17:34
          +11

          Already happening here locally at all those ___wood suburbs. No need to travel and experience. Usually Fobs or those lack of English or education. Because that's how it works in China. Survival for the fittess

        • cowiie on 06/02/2016 - 20:34
          +5

          @neonlight: fittest

        • Top G on 06/02/2016 - 20:39
          +8

          @cowiie: Dat engrish lesson

        • Kranbone on 07/02/2016 - 03:55
          +7

          went to holiday in Thailand and got stuck in a lift with a group of chinese tourists. One of the young boys stepped on another tourists foot (not in the group) then groped his girlfriend. The organiser apologised for the boys actions but the mother didn't want to, neither did the boy.

          I can see why they have such a poor reputation.

        • ankor on 07/02/2016 - 19:53
          +8

          A white lady saw me walking past, and extended both her arms so her elbows locked straight. The baby stroller went careening into my ankle. I didn't kick the head off the kid in the stroller though. I still regret it to this day.

        • Wyzard on 07/02/2016 - 20:02
          -2

          @neonlight: Learn some proper English before you bag out other people for their "lack of English".

        • Wyzard on 07/02/2016 - 20:04
          +3

          @zan123: No, it's Chatswoo :)

        • diazepam on 07/02/2016 - 21:26
          +2

          @Wyzard: Eastwood (Sydney) works too with the (not so) recent inundation of Chinese people.

        • Serapis on 07/02/2016 - 23:16
          +7

          @Kranbone:

          Not just asians but A LOT of parents with kids nowadays, seriously got to allow the spanking and the slaps back. WTH happened to respect and discipline?

          Happen with me at Woolworths, white kid pushes a trolley into my girlfriend at the checkout and she yelled at him. Along comes fuming mum and accuses us of being in the way threatening to knock us out. If it weren't for the cameras i would have knocked her out cold.

          Some people seriously shouldn't reproduce.

        • MagicWhip on 08/02/2016 - 13:53
          -4

          @Serapis:
          Particularly men who want to knock women out.

        • Serapis on 08/02/2016 - 23:38
          +4

          @MagicWhip: You misunderstand, I don't condone violence against women at all. But when a 100kg+ bear of a woman comes charging at you with a shopping trolley and her war cry, that's a whole 'nother matter.

          This isn't about gender but rather common decency, if you want to be treated in a civilized way then you should not act barbaric. Was prepared to get medieval on her ass.

        • tdw on 10/02/2016 - 17:28

          @Kranbone: > One of the young boys stepped on another tourists foot (not in the group) then groped his girlfriend

          that little shit fully deserved to kicked in the nuts. where the hell did he learn such vile actions?

      • djones145 on 05/02/2016 - 14:44
        +35

        people originating from china!

        i'm chinese but from hong kong and i'm well mannered! unless u compare me to the mainlanders where I get angry and turn GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        • airzone on 05/02/2016 - 17:09
          +12

          I was going to say that Chinese come from all around the world, not just China.

        • mskeggs on 05/02/2016 - 17:41
          +23

          @airzone:
          Thank the lord I've never had this kind of attitude from an entitled middle aged anglo Aussie, or a brusque New Yorker, or an Indian at a train station or, hang on - I have!
          It seems the thing that unites a—holes in crowds is their a—holery, not their ethnic make up.

        • dlakers3peat on 06/02/2016 - 18:58
          +11

          I was at hong kong recently and i have never come across ruder people in my life

        • Top G on 06/02/2016 - 20:41
          +10

          @dlakers3peat: mainlanders have flooded HK, that's why. PRC has completely disregarded the contract with the United Kingdom.

        • nobro25 on 07/02/2016 - 05:08
          +17

          @dlakers3peat: Chances are those aren't Hong Kong people that you're dealing with.

        • nobro25 on 07/02/2016 - 05:10
          +7

          @neonlight: What a dumb comment! So if tomorrow Australia becomes part of China we automatically start speaking Mandarin and start spitting around everywhere we go?

        • diazepam on 07/02/2016 - 21:30
          +5

          @dlakers3peat: all the mainlanders claim that HK people are ruder than mainland. Not sure how that's possible but from experience yes.
          My parents are from mainland, and I've seen a fair share of sh*t, but I was in Melbourne that other week and I asked a couple for directions while driving (parents were in the car at the back conversing in Mandarin). Upon hearing the mandarin, the female said to the male in cantonese "don't answer, mainlanders". Being fluent in cantonese resulted in many swear words back at them. :)
          And that's not the first time I've been bagged out by Cantonese people (esp in HK). I'll leave those experiences for myself, but anecdotal evidence really makes me agree with you.

        • rack on 07/02/2016 - 22:17
          -3

          @dlakers3peat:

          You my friend haven't been to Delhi airport yet.

        • maidingaling on 07/02/2016 - 22:40
          +2

          People are inherently the same. What people are experiencing here is a form of observational bias. I'm sure there are also many lovely, well mannered people from mainland China.

        • pyramid on 08/02/2016 - 08:45
          +1

          @rack: I thought Delhi is part of India .

        • rack on 08/02/2016 - 09:16

          @pyramid:

          No kidding. Yup mate it is.

        • Peck on 08/02/2016 - 10:55
          +2

          @maidingaling: "People are inherently the same" I disagree. Types of manners are learnt from a very young age. But I do believe that Non-asians would have manners that can be considered 'bad' in an asian culture. One that springs to mind is that in Thailand it is impolite to pick your teeth without covering your mouth.

        • ynot1985 on 08/02/2016 - 11:02
          +2

          150 new mainland immigrants are allowed to permanently move to HK every day, which is 55000 a year.

          This is crazy for a city that is already struggle to accommodate all of its local residents, hence why this is one of the factors why is it the most unaffordable place for housing in the world

        • ynot1985 on 08/02/2016 - 11:17
          +4

          all the mainlanders claim that HK people are ruder than mainland..

          I think they are only rude to mainlanders and no one else

          tbh, I think that HK couple were completely out of line of not helping when they someone asked for help.

          I think most of the problem I see with HK people been rude to mainlanders is in HK and this is based on political factors and also the actions of the mainland tourist in hk, some of which are well documented.

          I have seen it first hand myself while in HK the actions of the these tourist and it does piss people off hence why most hk people just sterotype all mainland chinese people which isn't fair but its hard when there are that mainly chinese tourist.

          I even see a bit of chinese resentment in Japan who I know in recent times are been swamped by chinese tourist. Even they are beginning to get a bit aggressive against the chinese tourist. I know cause I'm chinese (from hk) and I get annoyed when I get grouped into this sterotype when I was in Japan just because I look chinese.

        • supervigilante on 08/02/2016 - 16:08
          +4

          @lux: I'm not from China, but can speak decent Mandarin/Cantonese. I was advised not to speak Mandarin or broken Cantonese when travelling in HK. If HKers suspect that you're from China, they will not treat you nice. HKers will treat you better when you speak English to them.

        • diazepam on 09/02/2016 - 03:17

          @supervigilante: that's very true. I travel to HK quite often and I forgot to mention that. HK people quite dislike mainlanders and my Cantonese sounds quite odd (not from HK or Guangzhou) so I get treated quite horribly (although the taxi drivers seem to be getting nicer each time I go back!) You're absolutely right in saying use English and I suppose that's a tip for everyone travelling to HK. :)

        • [Deactivated] on 09/02/2016 - 06:56

          nvm

        • skazclaw on 10/02/2016 - 07:53

          @ynot1985:

          Someone from Japan told me they are fencing off a lot of their touristy/heritage areas because the Chinese tourists don't have much respect for the area and touch/walk on these things/areas.

        • aim54x on 10/02/2016 - 17:41

          @ynot1985: I know the feeling of being lumped in with Chinese tourists, thankfully my "Australian" accented Cantonese, or my fluent English sets things straight pretty quickly (I can't speak Mandarin, never learnt).

          It's a shame that a few bad examples (relatively) make it the expectation. There are plenty of well behaved Chinese tourists, usually not travelling in a tour group.

      • p1 ama on 07/02/2016 - 01:24
        +19

        Always the Chinese. I was getting on a pretty packed train and this Chinese lady who was in front of me walked around 1/3rd of the way down the carriage and decided to stop, meaning that there was a bubble of empty space and people behind me couldn't get on.

        I told her to move forward, she took around two steps forward (probably now 1/2 the way down) and decided to stop. By that point, people behind me managed to squish on the train. It wasn't too particularly tight, but any tighter and she probably would have gotten a nice shove to move down.

        I've seen this many times, always Chinese people. Same thing with stupidity on the roads. There's a drop-off point near my station, which is a lane around 8 cars long. The station entrance is closest to the start of the lane, so perhaps a bad design. Usually when there's no traffic, people just park at the start and it's no big deal. However, in the mornings, if you stop there, it's hard for everyone behind you, who have to now go around you and then try to get in front of you. The courteous thing is to go right to the end, yes the passenger has to walk a little further, but then it's 100x more convenient for the people behind. I've witnessed this happen so many times, most of the time it's Chinese people.

        I'm SE Asian, though not Chinese, I can tell who is Chinese and not. Many of my Chinese friends who grew up here aren't like that, I think it's almost a generational thing where people who grew up over there have been brought up in such an environment where it's necessary to be cheat the system and be selfish to get anywhere, they carry that mentality with them.

      • nobro25 on 07/02/2016 - 05:13
        +2

        Ofc the PRC have no remorse, its a dog eat dog world out there. I bet 99% of the Chinese doesn't even know who Confucius is, for if they knew they wouldn't be this horrible.

      • juventino on 07/02/2016 - 09:57
        +2

        There is a reason why the country calls itself the "Middle Kingdom" :) Everything should be centered around them . ha ha

      • Flying Ace on 07/02/2016 - 12:28
        +5

        I thought Russian tourists were bad until I came across the Chinese.

        • [Deactivated] on 12/02/2016 - 15:45
          +1

          I was just at the Boeing factory in Seattle earlier today and a Chinese tourist broke a 787 display trying to see how strong the carbon fiber was.

      • snivy on 07/02/2016 - 19:03
        +10

        *Chinese mainlanders.

        The ones from Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong are drastically different, and that's why there's so much tension between these and the mainlanders.

        • diazepam on 08/02/2016 - 02:11

          I said this before but typically those that are able to converse in cantonese (… HK people), I've found are the worse.
          and I know who's from HK due to the accents which they talk. :/

        • supervigilante on 08/02/2016 - 16:19
          +7

          Another factor to consider is how different Asians behave in front of Caucasians compared to other Asians.

          Generally, China mainlanders are rude to everyone. Hongkies are rude to other Asians but love Caucasians, SE Asians are nice to Asians, but love Caucasians. Taiwanese are polite with everyone. Japanese are absolutely polite to everyone, but afraid to interact with Caucasians.

      • Koolbargain on 08/02/2016 - 11:06
        +12

        Logged in for the first time in a few months just to upvote this. Went to Japan last year, all the rude people I encountered were Chinese. For example, taking a photo at a Kyoto shrine. We are clearly taking photos out of the way, when 50 Chinese tourists just crowd around with zero fracks given. Meanwhile some old Chinese grannies begin trying to take their own photos shouldering us to the side. We gave up and decided frack this let's get outta here. Not being racist as we are also asian. But Chinese tourists are the worst and a joke to society and travellers. Tour groups should be banned.

        • Baa on 09/02/2016 - 17:50

          Haha can totally agree with this.

          I love watching the Japanese giving them the biggest evils!

        • tdw on 10/02/2016 - 17:37
          +1

          i'll share my mainland Chinese tourist hate here:
          did the BMW factory tour in Munich. there were these two Chinese men who would talk non-stop while the tour guide was talking. they also had a penchant for pushing me out of the way to look at something. i only tolerated that once; after that i was pushing them back and glaring back at them when they looked at me incredulously as if a woman dared stand up for herself. they are rude, uncivilised buffoons, through and through.

      • MrFunSocks on 08/02/2016 - 11:10
        +3

        I went to China recently and that's just how they roll over there - lining up is "optional". We would be lined up at ticket machines to buy tickets to the subway and people would just walk up and literally push in at the front, and people didn't care. It just seems to be how it is over there. If you want to line up go for it, if you want to skip the line then go for it. The worst was when we were lined up to get tickets to go up the Pearl Tower. The line was hundreds of people long as it was on a national public holiday, and we would have people literally just pushing through the narrow line that winded around like a snake for hundreds of metres. If you would stand your ground and not let them just push through (not intentionally getting in their way, I mean literally just stand exactly where you were already and not go out of your way to move out of the way to let them through) they'd get quite angry too.

      • RJK on 08/02/2016 - 16:45
        +5

        Agreed. I have about 4 Chinese friends who are well traveled and have lived in different countries, and they have a low opinion of continental Chinese people too. It's their culture - they push and shove each other in their own country too, and must find us all pushovers for having manners.

        I've been on airport lines and watched with amusement as Chinese people consistently try to push in. It doesn't bother me so much if it's just one person, but I speak up when it's groups of them doing it.

        On trains, it's usually a Chinese person who is occupying your seat without a ticket - or on night trains, groups of Chinese who have no regard for how much noise they're making when it's 4am and everyone else is trying to sleep.

      • captobvious on 09/02/2016 - 00:21
        +5

        Not all chinese are bad, the ones you are refering to are the communist chinese from the mainland, the worst on the planet.

        Majority of Chinese from hong kong, malaysia, singapore are very polite and courteous and dont forget the Australian born chinese who have lived in oz for generations. Not to be confused Just in case everyone decides to start a hate group against all chinese because they all look the same.

  • bluedufflecoat on 05/02/2016 - 12:07
    +39

    I think a lot depends on what's "reasonable"… 1+2 or 1 family travelling together, is not so bad. Sometimes travelling with kids, etc - parents need to split up, or there would be more mayhem.

    30+ people or so… definitely not cool.

    • jinkhaos on 05/02/2016 - 13:10
      +5

      travelling together as a family of 3. I agree, 30+ people is not cool at all…

  • eve on 05/02/2016 - 12:12
    +8

    We do something similar - we all are there at the same time but rather than make my parents stand for ages, we get them to take a seat and call them when we are close to the front. I don't think you've pushed in because the outcome would be exactly the same - you'd be checking in at the same time even if you stood there for the whole time.

    I guess the main difference though is that no new luggage is brought into the line when we do that.

    • jinkhaos on 05/02/2016 - 13:20

      we thought perhaps next time we'll just wait outside of the queue until our turn is up, and we'll push our trolley to the counter from the exit. Why push all our luggage through the long queue anyway right?

      • RockyRaccoon on 05/02/2016 - 14:23
        +17

        Next time, why not have the person standing in line, mention to the person behind that they will be checking in 2 or so people, as soon as they stand behind you. Problem solved. No surprises for anyone. Then if someone else "complain's* you have someone who can stand up for you as well.

        I have done that especially when we had children who didn't handle the lines well, and would have been more disruptive for the others in the line.

        • jinkhaos on 05/02/2016 - 15:06
          +1

          that's a good idea, not sure if it would have worked in our situation though. the person behind might say: "well the right way of doing this, is for you to get outta the line and wait until everyone is ready"

        • badwolfpart2 on 05/02/2016 - 15:26
          +2

          You have no way of knowing whether or not the person behind you would stand up for you, even if they know. Why do you think they owe you anything? It's not their fight.

        • RockyRaccoon on 05/02/2016 - 16:15
          +3

          @badwolfpart2: True, but do you have a another idea? Nothing ventured nothing gained.

        • brickwall on 09/02/2016 - 07:54

          @RockyRaccoon: what I normally do is simply wait until there is someone queueing up behind me and speak in English telling my partner I'll be back in a min or two.
          No need to say anything to the person behind you. They don't even know you. When you're back into the queue, no surprise for them.

  • MITM on 05/02/2016 - 12:25
    +6

    I have no problem with people behind me in any situation including: on the road, cinema, Coles, check-in counter. If they woke up 5 minutes earlier, they would be in front of me. The early bird catches the first worm.
    I hope he's not sitting next to you/your parents.

  • Peck on 05/02/2016 - 12:48
    +15

    Forget about that wrapping bags. Its all BS. I travel approx 40 flights per year and have never had nor witnessed a problem. Airline staff don't do it either and they would know/have heard of problems. Of course anyone caught with illegal goods will say "I didn't put it in there". In the good old days the Italians, Greeks etc would say "My Mama she packa ma bags".

    • jinkhaos on 05/02/2016 - 13:07

      I think so too, I don't wrap when I travel. Mum and dad are just worried that someone might 'slip' something into their bags because they're travelling into SouthEast Asia.

      • mskeggs on 05/02/2016 - 17:45
        +20

        Schapelle, you're out now. You can knock off the "somebody slipped it into my bag" line.

        • jinkhaos on 05/02/2016 - 22:14

          I think so too, I suppose having it wrapped provides some comfort…

        • WillKillfor5Cents on 07/02/2016 - 08:47
          +12

          Schapelle is clearly a druggie… But the wrapping industry need to give her some commission for sure?

    • plmko on 05/02/2016 - 13:08
      +2

      I don't believe in the bag wrapping either, but I'm not sure if your anecdote really proves it's "BS" since it's meant to prevent unlikely events in the first place. Flight staff don't wrap their bags because it's all cabin luggage, which means they'll always have it on hand with no risk of tampering.

      • BillyG687 on 07/02/2016 - 13:42
        +1

        Domestic flight staff maybe, but on all international flights I've been on - flight staff carry checked baggage too.

      • dbun1 on 09/02/2016 - 08:20
        +1

        Not true - on international flight staff check bags as well.

    • macrocephalic on 05/02/2016 - 14:31

      I just buy a bunch of cheap zip ties and zip tie the bag closed if I'm going international. Same effect for only a couple of cents.

      • mousie on 06/02/2016 - 13:35
        -2

        Ingenious.. Like drug smugglers have never thought of cable ties..

        • hireswish on 06/02/2016 - 21:06
          +5

          Use colored zip ties. Unlikely they would have the same colour and they would most likely choose an easier target. It's a cheap tamper evident seal, if it's cut, take it straight to security.

        • EmCKay on 06/02/2016 - 21:46
          +7

          @hireswish: Suitcase zippers can be opened with a ballpoint pen leaving no telltale signs of tampering which makes padlocks, cable ties etc useless. Google it.

        • banana365 on 07/02/2016 - 12:11
          +4

          @fiza1981:
          Only if you don't luck/cable tie the zip puller to a fixed point on the bag (handle or something). That way they can't run the zip puller back and forth to reseal the bag.

      • SirFlibbled on 08/02/2016 - 09:45

        I did this on a recent trip. Instead of using scissors to open a section of the bag, they used a bolt cutter and cut off the metal bit on the zipper.

        The odd thing was there was absolutely nothing in that pocket.

    • CheapskateQueen on 06/02/2016 - 13:49
      +3

      yeh i never do either.

      just get a proper padlock people. even then sometimes i don't bother because it has to be a TSA padlock which means they can access it anyway..which then defeats the protection from alleged bag hacking

      the luggage wrap got famous in Aus after Shappele Corby's ridiculous claim that "the bag handlers put the weed in my surfboard bag". funny how we haven't heard of such a claim in the 10 or so years since.

    • bargdebarg on 08/02/2016 - 07:48
      +2

      If someone really wanted to stash something in your bag, not much will stop them, wrapping, padlocks, zip ties… all can be opened. When you see your bag has been tapered with at the other end, what exactly are you meant to do?!

      • BartholemewH on 09/02/2016 - 00:26

        It's crazy how easy TSA get into locked bags.

    • vitastic on 09/02/2016 - 09:50
      +1

      I don't get why people don't just get the hardcase suitcases without the zips? A little looking and you can find them pretty easily for the same price as the zip ones. If I'm ever passing through an airport where I might run into tampering or theft, I just use those suitcases.

      I also find these suitcases tend to last longer — I still have one that's at least 30 years old.

    • Letrico on 10/02/2016 - 18:07

      Might have to think again.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpIJVWXsBBI

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