As we prepare for an exciting holiday, it is easy to dread the airport and all of the bugbears that come with it. Regardless of how much we anticipate an adventure abroad, having to endure the airport isn’t the most fun part of the getaway.
It’s important to stay up-beat, and having to go through the frustrating times in the airport is all worth it for some time in the sun. But we list ten reasons we hate the airport, there might even be a way to avoid many of the common banes in our travel journey.
Short-Staffed Airlines
Something we recently mentioned, as a Swedish bag handling company have vowed out of UK airports. Subsequently this has left a feeling of discontent with many officials projecting waiting around in London Airports. It can be a nightmare, when you did everything right- woke up early, packed days before, prepared all of your essentials and then you arrive to find a ridiculous queue. With many airports getting busier by the day and generating record numbers, many of the airports will need to think about recruiting.
Security Checks
There’s not much that can be done about this, but we included it just for a good moan. Because the truth of it is, we rely on these checks and protocols being in place. But that doesn’t stop the fact that we just want to sip a cocktail on the beach as soon as possible. The constant stopping, taking our belts off, putting our passports in a tray, getting it back out, putting it away can be rather tedious. Lets hope we can make it through the metal detectors without it going off and also avoid eye contact as you get patted down.
Slow Travellers
Despite over a decade of the same security process where we put our belts and other valuables into a tray, why do we always get stuck behind the person who doesn’t understand this? It’s a nightmare being held up behind those who don’t separate their laptops or put their coins, wallets, belts and everything else in the tray.
The Rush
After leaving a lot of time to get to the airport, to park our cars, check our bagging and go through to departure we sometimes find ourselves in a rush. It’s easy to underestimate time allowance. You have one hour in departures, which sounds like a lot and it can be, but if you need to use the restroom, grab food and look through a selection of snacks and magazines it may not be as long as you thought. Remember, you often have the chance to tell a restaurant that you are in a hurry; they will then prioritise your food. You should also leave more time for everything you need.
The Delay
Hopefully you can’t empathise with this as you haven’t had to forego this experience. But it’s likely that you have, the average amount of delays in Gatwick Airport per day was a drastic, 18. UK airports experienced an average 15-minute delay per flight. So as mentioned, you probably have experienced a delay in the past. This is a dreaded moment and can completely rearrange your arrival, not only that but it can affect your connection flight. You may miss that, and by a delay of 15-30 minutes, you end up losing hours.
Traipsing with Luggage
Having to stroll around with a big heavy suitcase shouldn’t last long, but you may struggle with your hand luggage. It’s important to take spare clothes or at least underwear, in case of a delay or even worse, the loss or delay of your suitcase. Just thinking about it brings a shiver to the spine, it’s something we don’t want, but it’s best to be prepared. But one of the horrible scenarios is often squeezing yourself into a cubicle with your bag. There’s no room and you have to constantly check you have everything with you, bags, documents, oh and the kids.
Airport Food
Let’s be real, it’s not like it’s hospital food, we are about to embark on an adventure and we aren’t sitting in a hospital bed waiting for mushy food. In addition to that, there’s tasty cuisine and recognised restaurants. The problem lies with the prices, and there’s not much we can do. This is a pet-hate for many, as soon as you are deserted and have no other choice we are left with extortionate costs.
Wi-Fi
Something we also love about airports, the fact we can surf, communicate and keep ourselves occupied while waiting. In many UK airports we are lucky enough to receive free Internet access but when travelling we sometimes have to pay for that privilege. It is well worth doing too, but it can be something that drives us mad. Also, many connections time out after so long, so then you have to log in and transfer money. I know, it’s a hard life.
Parking
Let’s leave on a good note, as we brighten the mood a little. We’re about to jet off, so obviously we are in a good mood but that doesn’t mean that we have to get excited for all of the airport processes. Parking is another horrible task that can prove costly. But that’s where our team step in and offer you the chance to save up to 72% on parking with our UK airport discounts. You can get money-off short stay, long stay, on-site, off-airport or whatever options you prefer. Find the likes of Leeds Airport Parking discount codes.