By: Megan Saul
Culture Editor
Airports are strange places. Often filled with businessmen, families, and solo travelers with their own agenda of where they need to go and why, airports are frequently chaotic. The main similarity among these travelers is that everyone has to go somewhere at a set time– on a flight filled with other travelers. Because many people at the airport are taking a vacation, people often forget that they are still with other people who deserve respect. Although there isn’t a strict set of social rules for people at the airport, travelers must uphold social graces and adhere to basic social etiquette.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, airports across the world shut down. Among the many negative impacts of COVID-19 has been the loss of social skills, due to people lacking personal time with others. The airport, where it is crucial to interact with other passengers and airport staff, highlights the absence of these skills. The pandemic also increased the number of people scared of flying, which is now approximately 20 percent of all flyers. According to psychologist Martin Seif, “The single most important criteria for determining how comfortable we are doing something is how often we do it.” As a result of travelers’ poor reactions to flying following COVID-19, many people have become more hostile and disrespectful to airport workers. According to a podcast by NPR, a few causes of unruly passengers after the pandemic are crowded planes, increased consumption of alcohol, and people having shorter fuses.
Just recently, on Feb. 25, a passenger attacked and assaulted an airport worker in Bali. He grabbed the employee and then slapped, kicked, and pulled her to the ground. The Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) Acting Superintendent Aviation Shona Davis stated, “The AFP is committed to working closely with all our partners in the airline industry to intervene if anyone’s behavior interferes with the safety of staff, visitors, and passengers in or around the airport. The AFP will not hesitate to prosecute those who break the law and poor behavior will not be tolerated at airports.” Airport personnel would not have to deal with these situations in the first place if people upheld basic etiquette at airports.
Due to travelers’ lack of awareness and respect for flight attendants and other airport staff, airports are becoming full of hateful and frustrated people. A study by IBS Software and Aviation Business News revealed that 72 percent of airport staffers have faced either verbal or physical abuse during their work. Although not specifically stated, there are many guidelines that flyers should follow in order for everyone to have a successful flying experience. A few of these rules include being aware of others around oneself when in security lines, having spatial awareness of the small space available within the plane, and being quiet and respectful during the flight.
Politeness to fellow passengers, airport staff, and flight crew as well as basic decorum would greatly improve the entire traveling process for all.
(Sources: AARP, International Airport Review, New York Post, NPR)