The other day, I saw a post flagged by View from the Wing that was sourced from a reddit post of a conversation overheard in an (unnamed) airport lounge. The OP of the reddit thread posted:
Was sitting in lounge with an hour before boarding
Older couple behind me. He kept pestering her to head to the gate. I think they were in same flight because she was giving him back roughly the same times as I had until boarding
About 30 minutes before boarding he finally stood up and said “I’m going to the gate”
She replied “we still have a half hour”
Him “we don’t even know where the gate is”
Her “they are in numerical order and my phone says it’s a 5 minute walk. We will find it”
Him “I’m going and if boarding starts I am getting on the plane”
Her “fine. I will be there in plenty of time”
Him “ I am not asking them to hold to the plane if you aren’t there”
Her “you are overreacting. We have plenty of time. I will be on the plane”
Him. “You weren’t last time”
And he walked off.
When to head to the gate?
While we don’t know the complete story here (and of course, with any reddit post you need to take it with at least a little bit of a grain of salt if it’s even real), the heart of the matter comes down to when should you arrive at the gate. This is something that we’ve talked about before, with a video from the Holderness Family about the 2 types of airport people
(SEE ALSO: Why I sprinted through the airport for the first time)
(SEE ALSO: I’m wasting DAYS of my life in airports!)
Personally, I do like to be at my gate when boarding starts. This is mostly because I typically travel with only a carryon and so I want to make sure I don’t have to gate check it. On the rare occasions I check my bags (or travel with just a backpack), I am less stressed about getting there right when boarding starts. Still, I like to be at the gate early so I can check for things like the incoming plane being there or unannounced maintenance delays.
Should you leave your spouse in the lounge?
Obviously everybody’s relationship is different, but I cannot imagine leaving my wife in the lounge because I wanted to get to the gate and she did not want to. Similarly, I can’t imagine me staying in the lounge if my wife were anxious to get to the gate. It seems (based on the very limited information that we have) that there just MAY be more going on in this relationship than an occasional being late to the airport.
The husband’s last riposte (“you weren’t last time”) perhaps sheds a bit of light on things?
The Bottom Line
Like most things, a bit of better communication and sharing of feelings might work wonders for a better relationship. It’s not uncommon for two people to have different perceptions of time, but this passive-aggressive conversation is probably not the most effective way to deal with those differences.
Should this husband have left his wife in the lounge? What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below
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Maybe it’s OK to leave the spouse behind to let them enjoy the lounge a bit longer if one goes ahead with the larger carry on/personal items to secure storage. Just don’t get into a visible drama about it in a lounge where it’s supposed to be more tranquil environment, but at times it can feel like a zoo.