When making your way through the airport, the last thing you need is a pesky fellow passenger causing chaos and delays in one way or another.
From the winding queues at airport security and the busy boarding process at the gates – there is a lot that can go wrong.
But infuriating habits picked up by travellers only make the experience worse.
‘Pocket pilers’ cause frustration right before the scanners, hurriedly emptying the contents of their pockets after forgetting to do so.
Meanwhile, after making it through the security process, ‘belt bumpers’ manage to clog up the belt by misplacing their trays after collecting their belongings.
But the annoying behaviours don’t stop there, ‘gate lice’ strike when boarding is announced by the airport staff and are particularly keen to get on the plane, expressing this by queuing up early.
When the flight comes to an end, ‘aisle lice’ often break out and refers to passengers who jump up the second the aircraft lands, sometimes before the seatbelt sign disappears, and annoyingly grab their bags, attempting to be the first to leave.
Once off the plane, the pesky habits continue and ‘luggage loungers’ hang around the carousel, leaving little room for those attempting to pick up their cases.
Read on below to find out about all the annoying travel habits you might encounter on your next holiday…
Infuriating habits picked up by travellers only make the chaotic airport experience worse
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How ‘pocket pilers’ are slowing travellers down
Most passengers know to take off any boots and belts, as well as big coats and jackets, before heading through the airport scanners.
The process can often feel chaotic, with everyone trying to rush through the queue and make their way to a restaurant for a meal or drink before their flight.
But more often then not, a fellow traveller will realise at the last moment that they haven’t emptied their pockets and end up doing so right before the scanners. This is a ‘pocket piler,’ and they are guilty of slowing down the already busy line.
Lee Thompson, co-founder of solo group travel company Flash Pack, has visited over 100 countries and seen his fair share of ‘pocket pilers’.
‘Don’t be a pocket piler,’ he tells the Daily Mail. ‘Pocket pilers are the people who reach the scanner and suddenly realise they still have keys, coins, phones and headphones in their pockets. That’s the moment everything grinds to a halt.’
However, he does offer an explanation as to why some travellers are guilty of being a ‘pocket piler’.
Lee insists, ‘They’re not being rude – they’re just not thinking. By the time people get to the front of security, their brains are already on the plane or mentally sipping their first cocktail on the beach.’
Online, people blame ‘pocket pilers’ for the queues moving slowly. Instead, Lee advises travellers should take a ‘pocket prepper’ approach to avoid causing chaos at security.
‘In most airports – especially in London – you’re standing in a security queue for 20 to 30 minutes,’ he says. For Lee, this is ‘more than enough time’ to make sure your pockets are empty without rushing.
More often then not, a fellow traveller will realise at the last moment that they haven’t emptied their pockets and end up doing so right before the scanners. This is a ‘pocket piler,’ and they are guilty of slowing down the already busy line
Why ‘belt bumping’ is ‘horrible etiquette and disrespectful’
The pesky habit of belt bumping that many passengers are guilty of refers to when people don’t collect their tray and put it away properly after retrieving their belongings.
Some holidaymakers might simply grab their items from the tray whilst it is still on the conveyor belt and leave it there, causing a backlog as other trays process through.
Others take the tray over to the unloading tables, but fail to stack it neatly with the other empties.
Those who do manage to follow the rules find it particularly frustrating and Blaise Kelly, 26, told Metro: ‘It’s horrible etiquette and disrespectful to the queue and people working at the airport. It’s also a request from the staff, so you’re basically choosing to ignore them.’
Several annoyed holidaymakers have even shared their frustrations on TikTok, and @mybreakingviews, uploaded a video and said: ‘I just want to say, can we please just put our trays away while we’re going through security. It takes less than 20 seconds and I swear it quickens the process.’
But there are possible reasons why travellers might not put the trays away properly.
Etiquette expert Laura Windsor pointed out that some holidaymakers might have their hands full with children or elderly relatives.
She argues just because someone ‘belt bumps’ does not mean they have ‘bad etiquette’ and even goes as far as saying ‘it isn’t compulsory, and it isn’t the passenger’s responsibility’.
Hygiene and concerns over catching germs is another possible reason, with some travellers wanting to avoid getting ill for their holiday.
The pesky habit of belt bumping that many passengers are guilty of refers to when people don’t collect their tray and put it away properly after retrieving their belongings
Are you guilty of being ‘gate lice’?
Gate lice cluster around the gate before it is even their turn to board the plane, causing issues for airport staff who are trying to smoothly work through the boarding process.
Meanwhile, passengers who take a more relaxed approach are often left seething as they patiently wait their turn.
Many have captured the social phenomenon on video and shared it on sites like TikTok, aghast at how eager their fellow travellers can be.
One holidaymaker, who goes by @ellamejones on the app, posted a clip of passengers eagerly lining up for their flight. She captioned the footage: ‘People queuing up for a plane before their flight, even when the plane isn’t here to then also sit in already allocated seats has to be one of the biggest universal mysteries.’
But travel expert Lee offers some reasoning behind the behaviour and says, ‘I completely understand why people do this. What’s really going on is something I call carry-on FOMO.’
Lee explains how there are many reasons why passengers may be keen to board and want to secure a good place in the queue.
‘People are tired, anxious, often travelling with kids, and desperate for the holiday to start perfectly,’ he adds.
Some may be concerned about cabin bag space in the overhead lockers and choose to line up early so they are guaranteed storage near their seat. Lee says, ‘They’re worried about overhead locker space, whether they’ll be sitting together, whether something will go wrong.’
Gate lice cluster around the gate before it is even their turn to embark on the plane, causing issues for airport staff who are trying to smoothly work through the boarding process
‘Aisle lice’ – the annoying travel habit that has made it inside planes
The pesky, bug-like behaviour doesn’t stop in the airport, passengers take their bad habits to the aircraft too.
Aisle lice are passengers who jump up the second the plane arrives at the gate – even, in some cases, before the seatbelt sign has turned off.
These travellers might push through to the front of the plane in the hope of disembarking first.
Back in October, a passenger triggered chaos on a plane when she blocked the aisle and refused to move while others were trying to disembark.
Footage of the ordeal shows a crowd of people waiting to leave the Frontier Airlines aircraft after landing in Baltimore, Maryland, only to be blocked by a passenger. As she refused to budge, other passengers ganged up on her and demanded she get out of the way.
According to one member of flight crew, it’s not just rude and against etiquette to block the passage – it can have real knock-on consequences for passengers who genuinely need to get off quickly.
American flight attendant Cecily Anderson told Reader’s Digest: ‘It’s not just annoying, but it also slows everything down, making them even less likely to get what they want. We have rules about deplaning for a reason.’
The protocol for disembarking a flight begins by waiting for the seatbelt sign to turn off – a key safety regulation.
Then, passengers should gather all personal belongings and exit row by row from the front in an orderly fashion towards the exit. This allows passengers with tight connections to disembark quickly.
Aisle lice are passengers who jump up the second the plane arrives at the gate – even, in some cases, before the seatbelt sign has turned off
How ‘luggage loungers’ cause chaos at the carousel
Collecting your case from the luggage belt should be a simple process after going through the necessary passport checks.
But it often isn’t, especially if luggage loungers have anything to do with it.
The term describes travellers who lounge around and wait for their luggage right by the carousel, sometimes even leaning against it, causing annoyance to others who are trying to retrieve their cases.
Passengers seem attracted to the belt like flies at times, despite there often being benches nearby for travellers to sit and patiently wait, leaving little space for those who can see their bags to grab them and smoothly depart from the airport.
Lee admits this is one of his ‘biggest airport hates’ and says there’s absolutely no benefit to it whatsoever. It doesn’t get your bag off any faster, it just blocks everyone else from seeing theirs.’
Passengers seem attracted to the belt like flies at times, despite there often being benches nearby for travellers to sit and patiently wait
Join the debate
Which airport habit annoys you the most?
What should be simple turns ‘into chaos’, Lee says, when people can’t access their luggage properly.
Lee takes a different approach to pesky ‘luggage loungers’ and instead of eagerly waiting right by the belt, takes time to rest in a spot nearby where he can still keep an eye on his case.
‘I actually find baggage reclaim one of the most relaxing moments of the journey,’ the travel expert explains.
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