Airplane Fun

Annoying Passengers

When was the last time you went on a plane? Did you have a good flight? And what were the other passengers like? Perhaps you’ll recognise some of the things that passengers do in the list below.

Don’t you just hate passengers who:

• Act innocently after jumping in the queue as people are waiting to check their bags in.

• Bring massive carry-on bags that block up the overhead locker.

• Complain if you move their bag in the overhead locker. If they don’t want it touched, why didn’t they just check it in?

• Ask you (ever so kindly) to move to another seat so they can sit next to their friend/husband/wife/child, etc, etc.

• Stand in front of the movie screen while you’re trying to watch the film.

• Speak very loudly behind you during the flight.

• Grab the back of your seat as they get up or down, disturbing you while you’re enjoying a nap, reading a book, or drinking a cup of hot coffee.

• Lean really far back in the seat in front of you, leaving you with even less space than you had before.

• Hog the arm rests, and sometimes occupy a part of your seat as well.

• Play their walkman/disman/MP3 player so loud that you can feel the drum and bass rhythm without hearing the words to the song. • Try to open the toilet doors, and fail to understand that “OCCUPIED” means that you are sitting on the toilet.

• Smile as their irritating children kick the back of your seat, or scream all during the flight.

• Shout at the flight attendants and other personnel about weather delays.

• Talk to you while you’re working, reading a great novel, or using a personal electronic device.

• Try to read your newspaper, or watch the film on your computer.

• Fall asleep and dribble on your arm.

• Pretend that they are experts on air travel and explain in boring detail everything that is happening.

• Stand up before the seat belt sign goes off in an attempt to get off the plane quicker.

G L O S S A R Y

to jump in the queue exp to go to the front or middle of a line of people, without waiting at the back to check in your bags exp to register your bags at the airport before going on the plane a carry-on bag n a bag you take with you on the airplane an overhead locker n the area above the airplane seats where you can leave your carry-on bag a movie screen n the flat area on which a film is projected to grab vb to suddenly take with your hands to disturb someone exp to annoy or irritate someone a nap n a short sleep during the day to lean far back exp to move your chair backwards to hog something exp to try to take something all for yourself; not to share something an arm rest n the area between two seats where you can put your arm a weather delay n if there is a “weather delay”, the plane leaves later than planned because of the weather to dribble vb if you “dribble”, liquid comes out of your mouth as you are sleeping to pretend vb to act as if something is true even if it isn’t really true to go off phr vb if a sign “goes off”, it stops being illuminated