Fun observation at the airport

[ZEGH8578]

My flight was delayed, so I hung around an open sitting area, waiting for my gate to appear on the monitor. I noticed that lots of people heading to Trondheim had also chosen to sit around where I sat, in a very crowded airport (Alicante)
Then I hear one of them go "Its gate 37! Boarding has started!"
and immediately I think "that can't be, they have to unload the plane, that takes at least 45 minutes or so... "
Sure enough, at the gate, it still says "delayed", altho the gate has been set, and the plane has landed.
As time goes by, more and more of my compatriots gather around the gate - and begin to form a line.
We're probably no more then 50 people, and each one has a pre-assigned seat. What the hell are they forming a line for, there's plenty of benches, and tons of time. I take a walk. Around the whole airport. As long as it says "delayed" I know there's at least another whole hour to go. I come back later, they're still in their line. The gate inactive. As they finally open the gate, everyone still not in line gets in the line, multiplying it.
I see ONE dad arguing with his daughter, she is sighing, nagging, pointing at the line -
HE goes "But dear... you see... " in a clear sarcastic tone - "We have these things called assigned seats - they are going nowhere. We don't have to get in a line."
and the daughter goes "Oh my gaaaaaaaaaaawd!" (in norwegian) and eyerolls and sighs at her clearly superlame dad.
Finally they too get in the line.
In the end, its just me, and a young couple - and I even get up to take a final piss at the restroom, and come back to the still long and slow moving line. Finally they too give in to this absurdity, and get up, and walk to the far back of the line, and begin to move slowly towards the gate, little by little.
I'm the ONLY guy left, sitting comfortably, RIGHT NEXT TO THE LINE, as it aaaaalllll walks past me. When theres only 2-3 people left, I calmly get up, check my ticket, and board the plane.

So weird. I understand the line will have to form in some shape or other at the moment it's time to board, but a whole hour before, this strong competitive spirit - when nobody has anything to compete for :S
All seats are pre-assigned. There's _nothing_ to hurry about.
I noticed one mother even use that word "hurry! to the line!"

[TheoK]

Same as in Sweden. Swedes will also form a line, no matter if it serves a purpose or not 

[ZEGH8578]

I'd have to compare cultures, gather more samples! :0

Because, to me it seemed much more like a competitive instinct, than something specifically cultural. Like an urge to get what is rightfully yours, competing with many others. Maybe theyre imagining others taking their seat if they dont get there fast enough or something :I i doubt theyre thinking anything at all, just reacting to the competitive nature of the line

[Callaway]

I'd have to compare cultures, gather more samples! :0

Because, to me it seemed much more like a competitive instinct, than something specifically cultural. Like an urge to get what is rightfully yours, competing with many others. Maybe theyre imagining others taking their seat if they dont get there fast enough or something :I i doubt theyre thinking anything at all, just reacting to the competitive nature of the line

If you want to carry on a bag and put it in the overhead compartment above your seat, then there's an advantage to boarding the plane before everyone else fills all the overhead compartments.  My husband flies quite often and because of this, he gets to board the plane before everyone else and my daughter and I get to board with him when we travel together.  I have noticed people putting their carry on bags into the first place where they see there's room for them as opposed to near their seats.  If you sat in a seat near the front of the plane but not in first class or business class, you might find the space for your carry on bag already filled when you boarded the plane if you waited for the line to go away before you boarded.

[bodie]

People probably learn that at school.  I seem to recall vast amounts of school time spent lining up.  Line up to go in classroom,  line up for dinner, .....toilet etc.

I remember in infants and junior school we had to form a line of girls and a line of boys next to each other...then hold hands. Yikes.  I hated holding boys hands.  Still do.

["couldbecousin"]

      "Hurry!  To the line!"         

[midlifeaspie]

Breaking the bonds of gravity in an aluminum tube built at the lowest possible cost and maintained at the lowest possible cost is a scary prospect.  People crave order and rules when engaging in activity such as this in order to help them feel secure and safe in their misguided decision to get in the damn thing in the first place.

["couldbecousin"]

  Accelerating down the runway and lifting off are my favorite parts! 

[TheoK]

Taking off is fun 

[ZEGH8578]

mla, i think youre really onto something there

callaway, maybe for some people, but these did NOT think about the practicability of luggage it was very "automatic"

cbc and lit, yes, i love take-off - it also has that... it always takes a LITTLE longer than comfortable
it rolls and rolls and rolls, and i always have time to think "are we gonna take off or what!?" *WOOOOSH* there we go

landing also, it comes down so smooth - but always too fast to really react about it - then the actual touchdown is always quiiite rough - for a little second! it veers a little from side to side - only a TINY bit but enough to remind you that its a real, big, heavy, machine youre flying around in

[lutra]

Do peops still applaud when the plane landed safely? Last time I flew folks did that when we landed at Heathrow.  Well, I didn't.

[odeon]

No, they don't usually applaud these days, not on regular flights.

Callaway's is the only rational explanation... but I think you are right in that it's an instinct, Zegh. There's nothing rational about their behaviour. I see this all the time. People are idiots.

["couldbecousin"]

No, they don't usually applaud these days, not on regular flights.

Callaway's is the only rational explanation... but I think you are right in that it's an instinct, Zegh. There's nothing rational about their behaviour. I see this all the time. People are idiots.

  But, but, but there's a line, we have to get in the line!   

[odeon]

No, they don't usually applaud these days, not on regular flights.

Callaway's is the only rational explanation... but I think you are right in that it's an instinct, Zegh. There's nothing rational about their behaviour. I see this all the time. People are idiots.

  But, but, but there's a line, we have to get in the line!   

If you collect miles with an airline and fly enough, you can walk right past that line which is fun.

['andersom']

mla, i think youre really onto something there

callaway, maybe for some people, but these did NOT think about the practicability of luggage it was very "automatic"

cbc and lit, yes, i love take-off - it also has that... it always takes a LITTLE longer than comfortable
it rolls and rolls and rolls, and i always have time to think "are we gonna take off or what!?" *WOOOOSH* there we go

landing also, it comes down so smooth - but always too fast to really react about it - then the actual touchdown is always quiiite rough - for a little second! it veers a little from side to side - only a TINY bit but enough to remind you that its a real, big, heavy, machine youre flying around in

People kinda rush into a bus or a train too. Or crowd together, waiting for the moment to get on board. Also, when there is plenty of time left. Usually, I'm one of the few, or the only one, not being part of the crowd at a bus stop. Sometimes busdrivers drive a little bit further then, to stop right in front of my nose.