Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackadar
Wouldn't it be common courtesy to book a flight so you didn't have a tight connection and therefore not require everyone to waste their time just to accommodate you? 
I'm jesting of course, but only partially. As I said, I see this on EVERY flight delayed more than 15 minutes and I'm so sick of it I don't pay attention to the announcement anymore. When people book a 35 minute connection in a large airport and the plane is on time only 70% of the time, they're going to miss that connection 1/3rd of the time. They played the odds and lost and that's their problem. I'm not wasting my time anymore because other people aren't responsible or intelligent enough to book their flights accordingly.
Of course when it's a two hour delay I'm more likely to accommodate those passengers. But I'm also damn impatient to get off the plane because two hours of my life was already wasted! |
I've been on flights where it goes either way. I'd say it's more like 2/3rds don't but 1/3rd do, but, again, a lot of my flights are in the Midwest.
Sometimes people are nice and let people by, sometimes they aren't. I've barely made flights, I've missed flights, and I've been stuck at an airport for 4 hours on a layover- it's the luck of the draw. Unless I'm on that tight connection or schedule, I'll let people by, personally. But if everyone else is getting up, I'll get up, too. It seems like there's a critical mass- if enough people don't bolt to the exits, everyone plays along and is nice. If a lot of people in those front rows rush into the aisle, there's no hope for the connectors.
However, I think, especially with increased airline consolidation, you end up with a lot of options of 45 minute connection or 4 hour connection with nothing inbetween. Personally, I can't remember the last time I did a sub 1 hour connection and I will actively avoid them at places like Atlanta or Chicago where your odds of making that connection are next to 0. Plus, there are a lot of places where you fly that you don't have the option of driving an hour to get to another airport. And one could argue it's another matter when it's a person's bucks they are putting towards travel versus company expenses: it's a little harder to argue when you're talking someone else's $250 to move your flight versus your own $1000 to change your family of 4's flight.
I'm just saying it's not quite as simple as you're making it out to be. And I disagree that it's not wholly on the people making the tight connections. If you're going to get up and block the way, you might be acting a little bit selfish and asshatish. But just like a lot of other people on that plane. (EDIT: And air travel just seems to bring out some of the worst in people).
SI