Scribe-ls

I love to travel.  Visiting different places and walking around outside the official tourist zones is one of the best educations you can get and I consider myself lucky to be able to do it.  You find that people are basically the same in their differentness, and you run into random kindnesses that restore your faith in humans.  Except at airports.

Recently, there appeared an article in some one of Denver's papers about ten annoying things to not do when traveling by air.  I really took exception to it because it's so endorsing the current sourpuss trend.  Airports seem to be a gathering place for these misguided types. 

One of the big ballyhoos is to please be ready at security - shoes off, laptop out, yadayada.  I've observed while in line at security, great people-watching venue that it is, well-dressed frantics invade the personal space of parents, old people and obvious infrequent travelers while ejecting loud sighs of exasperation and sometimes even rude little remarks. My gosh, they practically push those who aren't moving quickly enough.  The result is usually that the flustered or befuddled person ends up being more so and taking even longer, not to mention looking more than a little crestfallen. 

I've seen grown men in business suits all but knock over over children well out of the way of the luggage carousel because they obviously consider themselves and their needs too important to walk five feet around to approach or leave it.  Do they use polite words, at least?  No, yet they'll be the most vocal in the waiting area or on the airplane in complaining about "rude children."  ha!

I've been nearly mowed down myself while walking at my own steady pace to the parking shuttle or down the concourse.  No warning or apology is ever offered by these puffed-up, pinched-face souls and I find myself hoping my laptop case some day gets tangled in their legs. 

Another item in the article that really galled me was the admonition about bringing food on board because the aroma might bother some weak nelly.  My goodness but there's a whole population that either needs to grow a skin or demand that airports and airlines make separate provision for their paltriness.  Just imagine how much nicer it'd be to travel if the sourpusses were confined to their own security lines, gates, luggage carousels and airplanes.  The rest of us might actually have a pleasant airport experience and the airlines might have a shot at being in the black again!