Flying Etiquette

Here we are, in Porto one again, en route to Vigo. Slightly earlier than originally planned because of the vagaries if low-cost airlines. Our idea was to visit Vigo at the end of October, UK schools half term time, with the daughter and offspring in tow. At the end of that week said daughter and offspring would return to the UK and we would stay on another week or so, daughter finding alternative occasional childcare for that period. Then, on investigating travel, we discovered that flights between Liverpool and Porto, so convenient for us, finish on November 4th, not starting again until the spring. So we reversed the order of things and we have come now. 

And so we played the budget airlines game of fitting as much as possible into 10 kilos each of hand luggage. With a certain amount of stuffing things in pockets you can manage that. At Liverpool airport, we watched as people put handbags inside suitcases (myself included) prior to the ritual weighing of bags. 

What surprised me, however, was the number of people who took the handbags out again once they were in the queue for boarding. It was a bit like the schoolgirls who pass the “no make-up” check as they go into school and then rush into the toilets to put on their mascara. I suspect that it’s only the speed of turn-around which prevents further checking up by the airline. 

On the plane there was the usual scramble for seats with intermittent lengthy holdups while passengers try to stuff oversized bags into overhead lockers, which have to immediately above where they are sitting of course. This time we reached the point of hearing an announcement that if we didn’t take off in the next six minutes we would be delayed for an hour, so would passengers PLEASE take their seats NOW!!! 

Our flight was clearly suffering from the worst case of “naughty class syndrome” that I’ve seen in quite a while. As the plane was still taxi-ing down the runway at some speed, the first disobedient passenger got up and opened the locker to get his bag. Once the plane stopped but still the seat-belt signs illuminated a mass of others followed suit. Instructions to remain seated were broadcast, to no avail.

 Eventually the cabin crew had to march up and down the aisle persuading and sometimes manhandling passengers back into their seats and then slamming lockers shut. It was all quite amusing in an odd sort of way. 

And finally the train into Porto and we arrived at our hotel, the one we’ve stayed at many times before. Time now for breakfast and then the bus to Vigo.