The Airport

My Dad once explained the airport to me. He told me that the airport was all about conditioning people. Getting the general public used to the claustrophobia of sitting on an aeroplane in an enclosed space with minimal leg room.

http://www.airport-int.com/upload/image_files/news/3009_faa_considers_restricting_flights_at_jfk_airport_SXP_20__20Depatures_20board__20delays_resized.jpg

Every time I fly on a plane I remember his explanation. It's pretty straight forward really. As a passenger you enter the departures check in area from the outside world. This is a huge concourse with lots of check in desks and queues but it is still quite a spacious area.

Following a trip through the security; where I always seem to get frisked. This happening again to me today. It was my shoes that set the alarm off today so I removed them and then came the obligatory frisk, today even under my waistband, saucy.

After the security area passengers are shepherded into the more cramp departures lounge, where inevitably there are not enough seats. It's still a fairly comfortable area, unless there is a considerable delay to the flight, but the sense of claustrophobia is a bit more obvious.

Then the move to the gate and the inevitable surge of people that occurs when the flight is called. It's important to get to the gate quickly to avoid the long queue that builds up as boarding passes are checked.

The nature of the gate itself depends upon the airline. For budget airlines this is usually a room with no seats, crowded, hot, sweaty, where the airline staff continually politely ask passengers to move right down to the end to ensure every one can get in. This is where it gets crowded. These are the people who will share the flight experience with you. Whatever the nature of the gate the space is smaller and passenger density increased.

Everyone is watching the doors to the aeroplane. Any movement by a fluorescent jacketed ground crew member is observed carefully. All of a sudden someone makes a move towards the door and then as one the crowd of passengers moves forward eager to get onto the plane. This is where jostling happens, those with carry on suitcases have a distinct advantage.

By the time the plane is boarded the lack of space is not really noticed and the conditioning as done its job. That is until you have to take your son to the forward passenger toilet on an A320. Now that is cramped.

 

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