Compartmentalize Psychology Of Passengers Or How Many Times Can I Leave My Seat Before The Door Closes?

Working as a flight attendant for as long as I have, my people observations skills have gotten better over the years. With long sits at the airport waiting for flights, people-watching has become a favorite pastime. I find that I crack myself up a lot.

I know that air travel, for most folks, can be somewhat daunting, foreign, and alien. Where else in the world does one have 150 or so strangers packed into a silver tube for a period of time? Add the stress of lines, security, time constraints, carry on baggage, children (if you bring them along), babies (if you have them), and the combination of seasoned and novice travelers, and you will get a amazingly provocative psychology project.

With that in mind, nothing is more humorous than watching passenger board an airplane. Any psychologists could write academic papers on this stuff. I would stand in the back of the airplane and just watch how people come on board. Even the most experience air traveler has their particular quirks. Let me share some of them with you:

My favorite is how passengers feel that the compartment bin over their seat is THEIRS and no one else. You would not believe how irate passengers become when someone takes the bin above their seat, and they would insist that the bags be relocated to accommodate theirs. Or, how about the passenger that shoves someone else’s bag out of the way, so they can have their bags directly above their seat. And the nasty looks I would receive from passengers when I tell them to place their bags in space other than the bin over their seat. I call this “Baggage Separation Anxiety.” Passengers would have a sense of anxiety because of the fact their bags are not above them, even if it’s only a row away.

Then there’s the OCD passenger who has to make sure that their bags is place in a particular way to optimize bin space management. It will literally take these folks the whole boarding process to make sure that their bags are placed exactly and intricately in the bin, making sure not to impose their bags on someone else’s space.

Oh, and let’s not forget the infamous bin hog, who will place a fanny pack, small purse, or a hat in the bin and close the door, making sure no one else can use the bin.

My all time favorite is the passenger that boards first, making sure he or she gets the most optimal bin space, and is seated, waiting for everyone else to come on board. During the boarding process, this particular individual would repeatedly leave their seat and into the bin to take out something, put in something, or both. The most I ever seen a passenger do this is 12 times. 12 times this person went up and down between their seat and the bin. It was a funny site to see. I jokingly said to that person that I would have to super glue him into the seat until boarding was done. Fortunate for me, he had a good sense of humor, and explained to me he was a scatterbrain. I told him that he was not alone.

How about the passenger who takes their time putting their stuff away? I mean they casually break down their suitcases, nonchalantly place the larger of the two in the bin and the other under the seat, grabbing a pillow and blanket, neatly folding their garment and placing them in the bin, not realizing that half the airplane is witnessing this whole regimented process as they wait ever so patiently to get to their seats. Of course, the whole entire time this particular individual is thinking the he or she is entitled to hold up the whole entire plane to make certain their personal property is placed correctly, that he or she has done nothing wrong, and that it's all about them. Screw everyone else!

I will not harp on passengers on this entire post, but you have to see the world that I have to deal with 3-4 times a week, and yet still do it with grace, professionalism, and respect. I do know that a lot of these folks are seasonal travelers. I know that a lot of these folks have not flown before. I know that a lot of these folks are only focused on themselves and no one else. That’s ok. I try, in my sarcastic yet humorous way, that they must not be selfish and be good boys and girls and share with everyone else. If everyone does this, we’ll all get along just fine. (At least until the next flight!)