Airports are kinda weird—they’re the only place where time feels fake, everyone’s half-asleep, and somehow, someone’s always eating a tuna sandwich at 6 a.m. Most people just want to get to their gate, but there’s always someone doing things that irritate other people. Beyond the obvious stuff like yelling at gate agents or cutting in line, some people just don’t know how to act. Here are ten airport habits that people do without even realizing they’re making everyone around them rather irritated.
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Setting Up a Picnic At the Gate
There’s always that one person who decides their gate is the perfect spot for a three-course meal, with containers & napkins everywhere, as well as a strong-smelling sandwich. Meanwhile, other people are awkwardly standing around because the food guy took up three seats—one for their backpack, another for the food tray, and one more for their condiments. If anyone dares to ask to sit, they get a look like they’ve just interrupted a private dinner.
Overusing the Charging Station
You’d think someone was closing a million-dollar deal with the way they spread out at the outlets, laptop wide open and iPad propped up with a keyboard. They plug into every socket and anyone else who just wants to charge their phone is out of luck—the worst offenders will also sit on the floor and start taking video calls with headphones in. The entire setup looks like they plan to be there for five hours and honestly, maybe they do.
Standing Directly at the Gate
Even when the speaker clearly says, “We’re boarding by zones,” there’s always a crowd of people who rush up & hover near the gate because they think their row’s about to be called any second. But the truth is that it’s group 7 and we’re still on pre-boarding—crowding around the entrance doesn’t help anyone. You could try asking them to step back and all they’ll do is shuffle a few inches, then creep right back in.
Camping Out in Front of the Flight Info Screens
If that wasn’t bad enough, you also have those people who plant themselves right in front of the flight information screen as though they rented the space. They’ll just stand there, scrolling through their texts or watching for updates that change once every ten minutes—meanwhile, people behind them are craning their necks trying to figure out where their gate is. You’re forced to read the info over someone’s shoulder while they continue doing absolutely nothing useful.
Watching Videos on Full Volume With No Headphones
You could be sitting peacefully at the gate one minute, but the next, you’re involuntarily listening to someone’s TikTok feed—no headphones, just raw phone audio. By far the worst part is that they don’t even seem to notice, or care, that the whole terminal is able to hear them. Everyone else has to pretend they don’t hear a guy shouting about grilled cheese recipes on full blast.
Not Walking on the Moving Walkways
Some travelers hop on the moving walkway and immediately stop walking, which is fine—but then they stand side by side with their friend, blocking the whole path. Anyone behind them who actually wants to move has to do the awkward “excuse me” shuffle to squeeze by. It doesn’t matter how many times the announcements literally say to stand to the right because these two are deep in conversation and couldn’t care less. The traffic jam behind them just grows.
Walking in a Straight Line with a Whole Group
The only thing worse than people who don’t move in the airport is those who do it the wrong way, by walking slowly, shoulder to shoulder. It stops anyone behind them from passing and these annoying people are usually looking around or talking, not realizing they’ve created a wall. People stuck behind them have no way to get around until they turn or split up, which takes a while—they might even stop right in the middle of the walkway to check something.
Treating the Boarding Line Like a Family Reunion
You can guarantee that when boarding starts, someone will decide that now’s the perfect time to talk to someone in the line and they’ll start swapping stories—all while the line moves forward. Other passengers have to awkwardly wait behind their family photo session and they’ll pull out snacks mid-conversation or hold up the entire line to take a group picture. The gate agent can try to keep calling rows, yet these two barely notice the people around them.
Crowding Around the Baggage Claim Belt
Before the bags start rolling out, some people run straight to the carousel and claim their spot, right on the edge. Everyone else has to peek around backpacks & elbows just to find their luggage—and when bags do finally arrive, half the people blocking the front aren’t grabbing anything. Instead, they just stand there watching luggage circle, completely ignorant of the fact that other people need to get their things, too.
Taking Forever to Repack
Security’s done and bags are through—but instead of moving two steps over to the bench like a normal person, one person decides now’s the time for a full airport makeover. They’ll do their whole routine of taking their shoes off and reorganizing their bag, right there at the belt exit. It’s almost as though they’ve forgotten that this isn’t their bedroom.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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