Flight attendants don't like passengers who crowd around the airport gate before it's their turn to board the plane. Premier status members don't like them either. They call them "gate lice."
According to an article in Thrillist, passengers linger at the gate for several reasons:
- Anxiety about overhead bin space: Many passengers worry about finding space for their carry-on luggage and want to board early to secure a spot.
- Traveling with children: Parents often prefer to board early to have more time and space to get their children settled and organized.
- Travel stress: Some individuals, like Pip Davidson mentioned in the article, find travel stressful and are sensitive to crowds. Waiting near the gate helps them cope with this anxiety.
- Ripple effect: When one person moves towards the gate, it can trigger others to do the same out of worry about being cut in line.
- Habit and perceived necessity: Some travelers believe this behavior is necessary or beneficial, even if it's not actually required.
- Eagerness to start the journey: As the author mentions, some people feel an urge to be close to where "the airport waiting game turns into an actual journey."
Thrillist interviewed one flight attendant who has a sensible solution:
[E]xperts say that gate lice aren't inevitable, and there are solutions that could get rid of them altogether. For example, one flight attendant I spoke with anonymously told me she would like to see airlines start charging for carry-on bags and offering free checked luggage to free up space in the overhead bins. "Boarding would be so much faster and easier," she says.
Previously:
• Air Canada flight attendant loses her cool: 'Everyone, behave!' (video)
• 'Heavily drunk' U.S. passenger bites a flight attendant, forcing plane to land in Tokyo
• Flight attendant jazzes up landing announcement with Looney Tunes voices
• Disagree with a flight attendant? You're a terrorist
• Delta Airlines kicks man off plane for urgent need to use the restroom before takeoff
• Chief Flight Attendant Patrick returns to Soarin' Over California
• Why flight attendants hate Diet Coke
• Jet Blue 'Epic Bail' attendant's fiasco covered by Taiwanese news animators
