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Ten passengers we love to hate: Day 3 - Baggage claim vultures
We already covered passengers who won't move to the right on the escalator, and those who bring hot, smelly foods on to the plane. But my personal (non)favorite is those folks who press their shins right up the baggage claim conveyor belt, in the hopes that it might help them spot/claim/get to their bags faster.
People! At the Anchorage airport, there is a bright yellow line painted all the way around and about a foot and a half away from the baggage claim belt. This line is for you: it quite clearly indicates that you should remain at least that far away, so that other people can see and grab their bags.
The last thing I feel like doing after being crammed into a germy metal tube for however many hours is bump shoulders with and act polite to folks crowding around the luggage carousel. When you stand right up against it, not only do I have to crane my neck and hop up and down like a deranged cheerleader in order to spot my luggage, I also have to wade through you and others like you to try to get it. If everyone would just mind the yellow line, then every single person would be able to spot their luggage and not have to body slam accidentally bump into those who hover like vultures.
For more passengers we just love to hate, click here.
Filed under: North America
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris Jun 3rd 2009 12:33PM
Can I get an AMEN!
I despise the me-first attitude with every fiber of my being. When I get to the carousel I usually find an empty chair and plop down and watch for my bag, then meander up, grab it when it comes around, and get out.
If I'm in a hurry I do everything I can to avoid checking bags. If I have to check bags, I do everything I can to book my flight so that it doesn't cause me to be in a hurry. If I can accomplish neither, standing right by the carousel is NOT going to make the guys under the plane work any faster!
Robbie Jun 3rd 2009 1:34PM
One could just fly more, obtain elite status, and hope your airline has priority tags, and actually puts them on the carousel first.
I also love it when someone says "My Bag is never first." Clearly a once a year flier.
Potsy Jun 3rd 2009 2:37PM
agree 100%
Barbie Jun 13th 2009 11:17PM
I worked baggage claim for several years at the Anchorage airport (old & new) and I must say, this is my BIGGEST travel headache. I've been to more than 30 countries and carousel hogs are by far the worse here in the states. PEOPLE! PLEASE STEP BACK! There are times when I would have to literally go out and referee the chaos at the carousel. In order to keep my cool when I travel, I often wait until the crowd thins out before I claim my luggage. I usually use that time to go to the rental car counter, especially if it's on site, make phone calls or go to the ladies room. It's usually less crowded in those places because everyone is at the bag belt. I also, as stated above by Chris, just find a nice cozy spot and wait til I scope out my NON-BLACK bag and pluck it off the carousel with the ease and grace of a professional traveler :-)
boredwell Aug 4th 2009 9:12PM
There are people aka vultures who may suffer infirmities-most of these invisible, too, aside from crass inconsideration. For example, persons with sight problems; those with physical disabilities hidden from the naked eye. True, there are always going to be those hogs with me-first attitudes but we should also weigh the possibilities that other forces may be cause of this affect, too.
Jewels Sep 10th 2009 10:33AM
Or the time when two children under the age of 8 were "riding" the carousel while it was moving and people were trying to get their luggage off at the same time. They just kept hopping on and off...no one was trying to stop them. Their clohting was black from the dirt and I was very concerned they could be majorly injured. (Of course non of wanted to get in trouble for diciplining someone elses children! Even the airport personnel were avoiding the issue and continued to let them "surf" away.)
One bleeding heart type lady (who had already freaked out on the plane because a business man was trying to quickly and quietly finish his business cell call before the plane door closed) said to me that, "we should feel sorry for" the mom of these "two future deliquents surfing on the baggage carousel", because the Mom (and another adult) were at the rental car counter and having problems there...so she couldn't possibly round up and dicipline her boys.