FLIGHT experts have revealed why being a dreaded “louse” can actually delay your plane.
Airline workers use the term “gate lice” to refer to passengers who start lining up at the boarding gate too early.
The Urban Dictionary gives the definition as: “Passengers, often inexperienced fliers in [economy] class, who gather or queue at an airport gate, completely blocking the boarding area and preventing first and business class passengers from entering the plane when they are allowed.
“They can also cause delays and confusion if a passenger in a wheelchair needs to board, as the wheelchair has to pass through the mass of lice that hover around the gate.
“When it’s time to board, they have to be shooed from the front boarding area to the back of the line, delaying the flight for everyone.”
Lice are those people who line up when there is no need.
They are eager to spend their free time waiting in line.
Drake Castaneda, corporate communications manager for Delta Air Lines and former gate agent, said The Washington Post: “If you’re at the airport, you’re ready to get where you want to go, so you’re impatient and anticipating the travel experience.
“For me, even as a traveler, if I know I’m going to be sitting on a plane, especially on longer flights, I like to stand up.”
Shira Gabriel, a psychology professor at the University at Buffalo, told the newspaper: “People will do anything weird if they think that’s the way to behave.
“When you see people lining up, getting ready, you feel like there’s a benefit to it.”
Queuing early can also be a way to deal with nervousness, according to an expert.
Psychologist Dr. Audrey Tang said Metro.co.uk: “Getting in line to board as soon as we can can help us feel in control, which in turn makes us feel less stressed.”
She added: “Maybe some people like to be first, but it has a lot to do with staying calm.”
Although standing in line doesn’t hurt anyone, it still irritates many others.
One person wrote on Instagram: “Our flight was delayed another 20 minutes and #gatelice still can’t contain themselves. By far the most frustrating part of flying for me.”
Another said: “It never ceases to amaze me how quick some people are to get into a long, germ-infested metal tube.”
A flight attendant previously said: “Stay as far away from the boarding area as possible until your group is at least close to being called.”
But experts have revealed why it’s becoming more common and it’s not always a bad thing to be a louse, despite it being looked down upon.
Not only do passengers now have to struggle to get their luggage into the cabin, but airlines also often overbook passengers.
Psychology professor Stephen Reicher of St Andrews told the Post: “In the case of the first [not queuing]you may miss your flight and miss your connection at the other end, in the case of the latter [queueing] you stood for a few minutes for no good reason.
“Queues may be dysfunctional, but they are not irrational. What people do makes perfect sense, given the context in which they find themselves.
“The consequence of these structural changes [airline] The problem is that they create uncertainty (on any flight, I can get in trouble) and competition (this is a zero-sum game: others who do well with packing lessen the chance of me continuing to pack).”
SECRET WORDS FROM THE CABIN CREW
Flight attendants use special language to talk about passengers, including those they find attractive.
There are several other passphrases used by pilots and cabin crew, some serious and some less so.
- Agricultural spraying: If a passenger is being very rude and difficult, then it is not uncommon for a flight attendant to walk past the offender and do ‘harvest dust’.
- Adam Code: It is used by airport employees to alert other employees about a missing child, named after Adam Walsh, a child who was kidnapped from a department store in 1981.
- 7500: If a pilot “screams 7500”, it means the plane has been hijacked or that hijacking is a threat.
- Cross-check: If you hear this phrase, usually made by senior cabin crew, it means that the emergency slides attached to each door have been deactivated.
Most airlines now charge passengers to check their bags, which has led to more people than ever traveling with just carry-on luggage.
However, the huge increase in this number means there is less space on board, so some passengers may have to check in their luggage if they are the last to board.
Earlier this year, a man attacked licensors – and people weren’t on his side either.
He said, “Why do people do this? I fly economy class all the time and just sit and wait until it’s my turn to board.
“It’s also annoying having to walk past people when it’s your turn to board. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
But many fellow travelers explained why this happens more often than not.
Someone responded: “Most flights operate fully booked these days, so if you board in a later group, there’s a good chance your luggage will be checked in at the gate.
“It’s really annoying when people crowd the gate, but… I understand, at least, considering the above.”
It comes after another airline operating in the UK dropped free hand luggage on board.
One man admitted he was always the last to board the flight – and some agreed with him.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
