This was published 1 year ago
Air travel problems in 2022: Nine things we want to disappear from the flying experience
With travel getting back to normal, it's time to start complaining about air travel again. Credit: iStock
Are we there yet? Have we reached the point in travel now where we can start complaining again?
It's felt a little churlish up until now, to whinge about anything travel-related, even with all of the airport chaos. Just a year ago we were all celebrating the opportunity to go out to a park within a five-kilometre radius of our houses and have a picnic with members of one other household – now we want to complain about flying freely around the world to any destination of our choice?
Still, it does feel that that time has been reached. If, as US President Joe Biden announced recently, the pandemic really is all but over, we can surely now focus on the flying experience and trying to get rid of a few of the regular bugbears. Personally, I would like to see the end of all of these.
Long check-in queues
Credit: AP
You could forgive this a while back, when travel was rebounding from an all-time low, when struggling airlines and airports were doing their best to get people into the air. Now, however, it feels like everyone has had enough time to effectively restaff and retrain, to get airports running in the same way they were pre-pandemic. And yet that's not remotely the case. (Also, how long is Sydney's international terminal going to be an absolute dump?)
Baggage dramas
Credit: Getty Images
You can handle a long queue though, if you really need to. You can get to the airport an hour earlier to make sure you make your flight. That's manageable. What's a little more difficult to handle is arriving at your destination and discovering your luggage hasn't made it with you. This is happening around the world: baggage "mishandling" has spiralled out of control – in some areas up to 1 in 4 bags isn't making it on time. And there doesn't seem to be much excuse anymore.
Price gouging
Anyone from Sydney who suddenly thought about a last-minute trip to Melbourne last weekend would know all about price-gouging by Australian airlines. Fares were more than $1000 return, thanks to the Swans making the AFL grand final. The dynamic structure of airline pricing makes gouging simple, and almost to the point now where it's expected. There can't be many other industries where this happens.
Security variations
Credit: iStock
Even in Australia, we can't seem to work out any sort of consistency at security screenings across our major airports, mostly because the technology at hand is different. Do you have to take your laptop out of your bag, or not? In Sydney and Melbourne you do at some terminals but not others. In the Gold Coast you don't. Plus, everyone seems to have their own rules on aerosols – some want you to take them out, some don't – and even liquids. And does your jacket come off or not? And how do you define what actually is a "jacket"? No wonder people are confused, and queues are backing up.
See also: Does airport security have a problem with women?
Novelty safety videos
This is Air New Zealand's fault, as far as I can recall. The airline was the first to start messing with the traditionally staid onboard safety video, adding a little Kiwi quirk to the well-known instructional on buckling and unbuckling a seatbelt (watch the airline's latest effort above). But now everyone from Qantas to Qatar is doing it, using celebrities or national icons to spice up their videos, resulting in Scorsese-esque epics that seem to be still going by the time meals are served. Guys: just get it done.
Domestic recliners
Credit: iStock
I'm all for seat-reclining on long flights. Seats recline for a reason – you're allowed to push back. Maybe just do it slowly, so you're not crushing anything behind you. The only time I have a problem with this is on short flights, domestic flights in Australia that are under two hours. Unless you have a medical condition or are in genuine pain sitting up straight for an hour or two, it doesn't seem reasonable to insist on reclining your seat on a short flight.
See also: The etiquette behind reclining your seat on a plane
Hand-luggage chancers
Credit: Getty Images
This is only getting worse, thanks to all of the lost luggage mentioned above. It used to be domestic flights that were notorious for this, everyone trying to sneak on far more hand luggage than they should to avoid paying a little extra to check a bag in. Now, however, you have plenty of people attempting to do international travel with hand luggage only, and bringing aboard wheelie bags, handbags, daypacks, shopping bags… the whole lot. It's not policed anywhere near as heavily as domestic journeys, and it's getting a little crazy.
Mask issues
Credit: iStock
For a while there was a lot of complaint about people who either refused to wear masks on board, or who insisted on wearing them in such a way as to render them entirely pointless. Now, however, the mask mandate on Australian flights (and most international flights) has been dropped, so how about we all relax? If you want to wear a mask, wear one, and no one should have a problem with it. Same goes if you don't.
Carousel chargers
Credit: AP
It almost brings a nostalgic tear to your eye to get off your flight, go down the baggage carousel, and watch as everyone insists on standing right at the edge, ramming their trolleys up against it and blocking everyone else behind them. People, people: just take a step back. Maybe two. You'll still be able to collect your luggage, and so will everyone else.
See also: The worst part of flying is the idiots at the baggage carousel
Email: b.groundwater@traveller.com.au
Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater
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