Oct 4, 2016 3 min read

I’m a people watcher. I can’t help myself. My parents and I used to sit at the old Pittsburgh airport waiting for me to board a plane, and all of us would wind up giggling and having a grand old time observing all of the nervous, discombobulated travelers. That was back in the days before the TSA when you were allowed to drop off or greet your family or friends right at the gate.

I still love to travel and still get the giggles watching all of the antics my fellow travelers pull in airports and on planes. I know I look and act just as ridiculous. First of all, I don’t know how anyone ever survived without their smartphones and iPads. Rather, I’m not sure how we actually walk or talk anymore with those devices glued to our hands, eyeballs and ears. The real laugher is when you herd those folks into a confined space, then tell them they can’t use those devices during the flight. It’s as if you rounded up kindergartners on the playground, then told them they could look at the swings but couldn’t play on them for several hours.

I’ll admit I’ve been a rule breaker. There may have been a recent trip when I was streaming a favorite football team’s game on my phone, hid it under my sweatshirt and somehow “forgot” to turn it off during takeoff. I immediately felt guilty and feared I might cause the navigation system to go haywire, so I turned off my phone even before we reached a comfortable cruising altitude of 36,000 feet. Only then did they inform us that our plane was not equipped with Wi-Fi. My football-watching plans were foiled until landing.

After I turned off my phone, I read and did a crossword puzzle, then took a nap. It was relaxing. However, I can’t help but notice how antsy and irritable many passengers are during flights. You’d think some of them are going to have a conniption if they don’t get that free glass of juice or pop within minutes. They tear into the free handful of peanuts or crackers like they’re filet mignon. And it never fails that the person in the window seat will have to climb over your lap to use the restroom five times during a three-hour flight.

A friend’s recent flight was delayed 45 minutes because a first-class passenger had plugged up the toilet before the plane left the gate. Rather than wait for maintenance any longer, the captain opted to take off and announced, “We have three other restrooms!” All I could think upon hearing that story was who waits to get on the plane to use the bathroom? I always try to avoid it. Then again, I usually try for a window seat and don’t want to climb over anyone’s lap to use the facilities.

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.